8 Things To Do in Tatton Park

Owned by the National Trust and managed by Cheshire East Council, Tatton Park is a beautiful historical estate situated to the north of Knutsford. Since the estate has a mansion, a medieval manor house, 50 acres of gardens, an animal farm and 1000 acres of deer park you can easily spend a full day there. 

Does this sound like the perfect day out? Then without further ado, here are the 8 best things you can do in Tatton Park.

How to get to Tatton Park?

You can arrive in multiple ways to Tatton Park: even on horseback!

If you live close to its grounds, then I highly recommend either cycling or walking to avoid paying for parking which is £6-8 per car. The Cheshire Cycleway runs through Tatton Park, but you can also hire bikes within the park grounds.

If you come from further afield then the best way is by car or public transport. It is suggested to use the post code WA16 6SG in your SatNav. If you don’t have your own car but would like to enjoy the freedom of a private vehicle, then you can always hire a car to get to Tatton Park.

The closest bus and train stations are in Knutsford just over 2 miles from the estate. Make sure to plan your journey with Trainline which also provides information on bus fares.

Top Tip – If you’re planning on travelling across the UK by train a lot, then check out some Railcard options which allow you to save some pennies on your train fares.

Cost to enter Tatton Park’s attractions

We decided to become members of the National Trust which allows us to enter most of their sites for free. 

If you’re visiting Tatton Park and you are a National Trust member then you can enter the Mansion and explore the Gardens for free. In addition, you can visit the Animal Farm for half price.

However, if you aren’t a member, you must purchase single attraction tickets for the mansion, gardens and animal farm for £8/£6 per adult/child respectively. 

Furthermore, please note that you have to pay £6-8 for parking irrespective of whether you have a membership depending on whether you arrive during the week or at the weekend. 

Top things to do in Tatton Park

On the grounds of today’s Tatton Park stood Tatton village in the medieval times. Even though Tatton village has long disappeared, the park puts a lot of effort into conservation. The area is actually considered a Scheduled Ancient Monument. 

Over the centuries it has exchanged owners and went through countless changes before the last owner, Lord Egerton, left it to the National Trust in his will. Today Tatton Park is owned by the National Trust but run by Cheshire East Council.

1. Explore the Mansion

The Egerton family decided to build a New Hall in 1716 which then acted as their home instead of the Old Hall Manor. Between 1780 and 1813 Samuel Wyatt and Lewis William Wyatt completely re-modelled it to the neoclassical style. Later on further extensions were added.

If you love art and fine furniture then definitely take a tour inside the Mansion as it has no shortage of them. Furthermore, National Trust’s largest and finest book collection is stored in the Mansion’s Library. 

2. Get lost in the Gardens

Hands down my favourite area of Tatton Park is the 50 acres of Gardens. The 19 different distinct areas we can see today were developed over a 200 year period by following the current trends of the era. All areas are beautiful and unique in their own way but I’ll only detail below some of my absolute favourite ones. 

Walled Kitchen Garden

The first area you enter within the gardens is the Walled Kitchen Garden. In the Kitchen Garden they grow the same fruit and vegetables as they used to in the Edwardian times. They also cultivate with the traditional techniques helping with the conservation of long-established skills.

Anything they grow in this garden is either used in the dishes the staff prepare for visitors or you can also purchase them at the Farm Shop.

Japanese Garden

There’s just something about Japanese Gardens that attracts me. So no wonder that my favourite spot in the whole of Tatton Park is this over 100-year-old garden. The garden’s best features are the Tea House, the Flying Goose Bridge, the Almond-Eye Bridge and the Shinto Shire. Furthermore, they built a mound which represents Mount Fuji. 

Unfortunately, you cannot just walk into the garden, you have to join the organised tour which only runs twice a week. However, you can still take some amazing Instagram worthy photos from the outskirts. 

Glasshouses

Another favourite of mine are glasshouses. The ones in Tatton Park were built in the 17th Century mainly to grow pineapples as the pineapple represented a symbol of status back then. Since orchids were also a symbol of wealth, plus some of the Egerton family members loved orchids, the garden also has an Orchid House.

Did you know that one of the largest glazed ferneries in England is in Tatton Park? Well now you know. The Fernery itself was designed by Joseph Paxton and contains a great collection all the way from New Zealand and Australia. No wonder the Fernery is another favourite of mine in Tatton Park! 

‘Pleasure Gardens’

Over the years different gardens were created for the recreational purposes of members of the Egerton family. These include the Maze, which is now popular with children, Charlotte’s Garden, the Topiary, the Rose Garden, the Arboretum, the Tower Garden, the Choragic Monument, the Italian Garden and the African Hut which was built during World War II. 

3. Meet rare breeds at the Animal Farm

If you’re planning on visiting Tatton Park with kids, then make sure you head over to the animal farm. The 20 acre farm shows its visitors how the rural life operated here. The farm still has traditional breeds and is committed to the conservation and breeding of these rare farm animals. For their efforts, the farm was awarded the Rare Breeds Accreditation by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust in 2007. This makes the farm in Tatton Park one of the 17 farms to have received this title in the UK.

4. Get haunted at the Old Hall

Built in the 15th and 16th Century, The Old Hall is definitely Tatton Park’s hidden gem. Due to the fact that the immediate area was where Tatton Village used to stand it is now considered a ‘Scheduled Ancient Monument’. 

The Manor served as the owners residence until the 1770s, when the Egerton family built the Mansion to act as their main home. Therefore, the Old Hall was used as a farmhouse and cottages for workers. 

Being the oldest building in Tatton Park and having all of the history that it does meant the building was featured on TV’s Most Haunted. No wonder the Old Hall is very popular with visitors in October, especially close to Halloween. 

5. Spot deer in the Parkland

Spot some of the Red and Fallow deer that have roamed across the 2,000 acres of landscaped deer park since 1290. You can actually freely explore 1,000 acres of the whole Parkland on foot, on bike or even on horseback. 

The Parkland has two meres – Tatton Mere and Melchette Mere – which are considered Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Other then spotting deer, you can also see some Hebridean and Soay sheep which are considered rare breeds.

6. Have a bite to eat at the Stableyard

Are you feeling peckish or just want a taste of the home-made cakes the local baker prepares daily?

Then head over to the Stables restaurant to pick out a delicious meal prepared with local ingredients. However, if you’re feeling a bit fancy why not have a traditional afternoon tea at New Gardener’s cutest looking cottage tea room. 

7. Time your visit with a popular event

Annual Royal Horticultural Society flower shows, car shows, Foodie Festivals, craft and antique fairs; the list goes on. There is definitely no shortage of events at Tatton Park so why not visit it on a special day. 

Make sure you check out the full list of events on Tatton Park’s website before your visit. (Please note that fees could apply to both members and non-members during these events).

8. Take something home with you

Do you feel like purchasing something locally made? 

Then head to the Farm Shop where you can purchase local produce such as cheese, herbs, fruit and vegetables.

Furthermore, at the Garden Shop you can buy some seasonal herbs, plants and baskets. 

Final Thoughts on Tatton Park

Have you ever been to Tatton Park before? How much of the area did you manage to explore? What was your favourite thing to do? Let me know in the comments below.