Hatfield House

Hatfield House is a large stately home surrounded by an enormous park that includes mature sculpted gardens, areas perfect for walks and picnicking, a cafe and more.

According to wikipedia, “the present Jacobean house was built in 1611 by Robert Cecil, First Earl of Salisbury and Chief Minister to King James I and has been the home of the Cecil family ever since. It is currently the home of Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 7th Marquess of Salisbury.”

The house itself, which with entrance to the park costs £9 for each adult, is worth a visit. We particularly enjoyed the gardens which are included in the price of the ticket to view the house.

We visited on Easter Monday, the first weekend that the house and park are open to the public. The estate and surrounding park are so big that, even on what must be one of it’s busiest days, we found ample quiet space to explore and relax.

The restaurant has decent, but not spectacular, food but doesn’t appear to serve anything that’s actually grown or raised on the estate.

Hatfield House is located just 15 minutes drive from St. Albans. It’s also located immediately across the road from Hatfield railway station which is served by First Capital Connect (but not directly from St. Albans). Take the train to avoid the queues at the entrance on busy weekends.

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