Four miles downstream from Stratford, Charlecote Park has been home to the Lucy family since the 12th century, and the great Tudor gatehouse you drive towards has barely changed since it was built in the 1550s. Elizabeth I stayed here in 1572. Capability Brown landscaped the deer park in 1760, and the fallow deer he found here — descendants of a herd recorded in the Domesday Book — still graze between the house and the Avon.
Its Shakespearean claim is the best story in Warwickshire and probably not true: that the young Shakespeare was caught poaching deer in this park, hauled before Sir Thomas Lucy, and left for London shortly afterwards, taking his revenge by satirising Lucy as Justice Shallow. True or not, the park is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon, and the Victorian interiors, brewhouse and kitchens are unusually complete.
Top things to do at Charlecote Park
See the Tudor gatehouse
The 1550s gatehouse is the most photographed building on the estate and one of the finest of its kind in England — almost untouched since Elizabeth I passed through it.
Walk the deer park
Capability Brown’s landscape runs down to the Avon, with fallow deer and Jacob sheep grazing among ancient oaks. The riverside circuit takes about an hour.
Tour the house
Behind the Tudor front is a full Victorian interior: the Great Hall, the library and rooms crammed with the objects of a family that never threw anything away.
See the working kitchens and brewhouse
The Victorian service wing — kitchen, scullery, brewhouse and laundry — is one of the most complete in the National Trust and often the most interesting part of the visit.
How to get to Charlecote Park
- By car: 10 minutes east of Stratford on the B4086, with a large car park on site.
- By bike: a flat, pleasant 25-minute ride along the Avon valley from town.
- By bus: limited local services run from Stratford — check timetables carefully, or take a taxi.
Insider tips
- National Trust members enter free; for everyone else, a family ticket is far better value than singles.
- The deer are most active and photogenic in the early morning and at dusk.
- The park is excellent in autumn, when the oaks turn and the rutting season starts.
- Combine with a riverside walk and lunch in the orangery cafe for a very easy half-day.
