Very nicely and quaint place, lovely museum with a good collection of items, not just Gilbert White but others linked to the house. Everything has been kept so original and fine, very informative and interesting. The ticket we purchased allows free entry through the year, looking forward to coming back in the spring. Free parking, if you get a space in the first car park. Excellent facilities and very helpful staff, we thoroughly enjoyed the day.
Gilbert White was one of the most influential Natural Historians ever to have lived, and his house, gardens and grounds show what made him interested in nature. They are beautiful. We went on a Nature Day event, with walks and talks on a range of subjects and activities for children to partake in. We will return on a normal day to take it all in again.
19th August - Beautiful house and gardens. The shop had a good choice of gifts.
We didn't find the car park, but there is one if you can't find it, parking in the village is awkward.
The cafe served a lovely range of cakes which were really good. Club sandwich was amazing. The service was quick, and there was plenty of space to sit,with lots of room in between tables too.
I personally loved the amount of information available in the house and the simplicity of the garden.
Must go to at least once.
Just love visiting this place! Lovely house with interesting and interactive museum displays. Good for kids and adults alike. The absolute winner though is the garden and grounds. A beautiful spot with a good mix of formal gardens and open parkland. Not a huge space so you can cover it easily in a few hours. My kids love the A-Z hunt around the gardens. I love the recent addition of the bird hide and the kitchen garden. Really nice staff and a good little gift shop. We normally take a picnic as there is plenty of space to set down and eat, but the cafe looks nice too. Don't think there is a lift in the house so I couldn't get our buggy upstairs, but not a huge issue as I just left it downstairs whilst we explored upstairs. Really good value as we paid £35 for a family annual pass meaning that we can visit as many times as we like across the year.
Exquisite house with a great story well told of Britain's first ecologist and nature journalist, Gilbert White. The displays spread throughout the lovely old "country house" are well thought out and thought provoking. Add to that the story and display of Scott's Antarctic ill-fated expedition and the inquisitive mind will be well satisfied. The gardens and meadow are a delight, even when we visited in November and a.lunch and late afternoon tea in the stables café rounded off a perfect day.
18th-19th June time is typically the unusual plat fair. We go every year and it is a great opportunity to see rare plants and buy them added to this the house does food and coffee and also has its own brewery. The house and gardens are great for children and access is good for the less mobile.
Fantastic little café. Friendly staff, quick service, lots of options on the menu and coffees. This is a regular stop for many cyclists. Plenty of space for bikes. Sandwiches are recommended.
Marissa Jasmine Carter (Marissa Carter)
+5
The area is well maintained and the gardens are plentiful with gorgeous blooms, especially in spring. The house tour is nice, but personally I’d only visit again for the gardens, as it’s a nice picnic spot.
I was very surprised with this garden, l thought the garden would be on the small size! However what l found was a beautiful garden and park with many beautiful trees and herbaceous borders. I had a lovely morning exploring the garden and l had a really nice mac and cheese in the cafe in site. I would highly recomend a trip here.
Very interesting little house museum. The ground and house are well looked after, staff very friendly and helpful. We went to dog show. Had a great day put the chef Chris was cooking in arena part, lovely beef and chicken burgers he was cooking all day poor man, but polite and cheerful, food cooked properly.
Lovely. Just a lovely friendly comfortable cheerful place with a real sense of history. Not just the Gilbert White story - you get the sense he was about to walk into view at any moment - but also the poignancy of the Laurence 'Titus' Oates story, so intertwined with the ill-fated Scott Antarctic expedition. Artefacts, sensitive interpretation, fascinating archive film, and books aplenty give a sense of the adventure and the tragedy deep in the ice of the most Southern continent. The gardens have little slates of information testament to White's many interests; the café food is pricey but very good; and on sunny days kites whistle overhead whilst buzzards drift on the breeze.
e tradecom (e-tradecom)
+4
Only used their cafe and have a walk along their garden. Seems to be very nice. Food and drinks in the cafe are nice. Clean toilet, staff are friendly. Reasonable priced. The house parking is further along the road. The satnav doesn’t take you there straight. You will need to look the road sign. Parking is free for two hours if you use the museum or the CAFE and spend over £5. I had a walk in the nearby the zig zag.
I've been aware of this place for years but had never gotten around to visiting until now, and what a lovely museum it is!
Very friendly and well kept. A great shop and cafe. Most importantly the museum tells its stories very well, but I won't spoil them here.
Fantastic gardens as well.
You can buy a ticket that will let you visit for a whole year for the same price.
Very friendly and helpful staff.
This is really more than one museum...
Update 12/05/18: Museum Re-launch
I attended the re-launch of the £3m refurbished museum, Stable Yard and Galleries opened by the BBC's Tom Heap. Certainly worth waiting and well worth visiting. As was the the performances of the Lions of Zululand a cultural group of musicians and dancers whose aim is to expose the world and richness of traditional Zulu culture.
Original post:
Due to renovation work, I took the opportunity to take a wander around the gardens situated to the rear of the house. I was taken aback by what I saw. To the right there are the lovely and carefully restored gardens To the front a beautiful parkland stretching as far as the eye can see. It is quite breathtaking and tranquil.
The website sums it up nicely “Visitors to this secret Hampshire garden marvel at the quirky features, glorious vistas and creative planting which are delightful whatever the season or weather”.
There is more I could say, but this is a gem worth discovering for yourself. Enjoy!
We visited the Jubilee Tap which serves the various excellent beers from the Gilbert White brewery. We had a lovely lunch and we were given a tasting of all 5 beers on tap before we chose which ones to order. A lovely warm friendly welcome and lots of information about the beers and also Gilbert White himself. The house and garden are well worth a visit and the cafe is very good too (also serves the same beers in bottle). The Jubilee Tap is just the other side of the road from the house so you can visit both. Highly recommended if you are near Selbourne
Really enjoyed a wander around the various gardens. Tulip display was impressive. More colour to come later in the year. Cafe service was slow but food was very good.
A unique garden. The herbs, fruit and vegetables fascinating g to ßee how grown. Inside house White exhibitions as well as Oates and Scott explores
Excellent place. Garden beautiful even on a cold March day - snowdrops everywhere. We had a guide around the house - she really knew about Gilbert White and his family. Fascinating to listen to. Great coffee, lovely lunch and then we went to see the 12th c church - beautiful. Really worth a visit.
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