Wollaton Hall and Park is a historic estate in Nottingham featuring a grand Elizabethan mansion set within 500 acres of parkland. It combines history, nature, and family-friendly attractions, making it a popular destination for visitors of all ages. The site is home to both a Natural History Museum and expansive outdoor spaces.

Visitors can explore the Natural History Museum with collections of fossils, animals, insects, and plants, along with historic spaces like Tudor kitchens and hidden corridors. The park includes deer herds, a scenic lake, formal gardens, playgrounds, and walking trails, as well as the Nottingham Industrial Museum showcasing the city’s industrial past. With activities like birdwatching, orienteering, and seasonal events, there is plenty to see and do. 

Museum entry costs £15 for adults, with children (under 15) entering free with a paying adult, while Hidden History Tours cost £8 per person. Parking charges apply at £5 on weekdays and £6 on weekends. 

Wollaton Hall and Park offers a rich blend of history, nature, and interactive experiences. It is ideal for families, history enthusiasts, and outdoor lovers. With its impressive architecture and wide range of attractions, it provides a memorable and enjoyable day out.

Wollaton Hall

• An architectural wonder, Wollaton Hall is one of the country’s finest Grade I listed Elizabethan buildings and the largest dedicated Natural History Museum in the county. 
• Wollaton Hall was built between 1580 and 1588 for Sir Francis Willoughby and is believed to be designed by the Elizabethan architect, Robert Smythson, who had by then completed Longleat in Wiltshire and was to go on to design Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire.
• The general plan of Wollaton is similar to these, and was widely adopted for other houses, but the exuberant decoration of Wollaton is distinctive, and it’s possible that Willoughby played some part in creating it. The style is an advanced Elizabethan with early Jacobean elements.

Natural History Museum

• Birds: Recreated in the style of a 1930s museum, the gallery contains birds and game heads, alongside contemporary specimens. Many collected in Ethiopia and Sudan by nineteenth century explorer Mansfield Parkyns with two specimens of the Shoebill brought to Europe in 1850.
• Insects: Butterflies, moths, beetles and bugs from around the world. Focusing on the biology and life cycles of insects, see a Caribbean ‘cloud forest’ diorama with the birds and mammals dependent on termite colonies for food and nest sites.
• Herbarium: A collection of preserved plants is a ‘herbarium’. Nottingham’s Natural History Museum contains 100,000 pressed plants and flowers from across the globe, as well as seeds and other botanical samples, many of which are on display at Wollaton Hall.
• Spirit: Organisms preserved in jars of fluid or ‘spirit’ for soft-bodied animals that cannot be dried or undergo taxidermy. The spirit jars in the Nottingham Natural History collection contain 1,000 glass jars of preserved organisms from around Europe.
• Geological: The geological collection of the Nottingham Natural History Museum contains 47,000 rocks, minerals and fossils. The fossils originate predominantly from Britain, while the rocks and minerals from across the world.

Hidden History Tours

• Prospect Room: Situated on the top floor of Wollaton Hall, the Prospect Room is a popular room for Weddings and Private Hire. This magnificent room has panoramic views over Nottingham with stunning architecture visible across the Hall rooftop.
• Tudor Kitchens: Situated at the heart of Wollaton Hall, the Kitchens date back to the Tudor times for the Elizabethan Mansion. They are simply decorated and give an insight into how people would have lived during Tudor times.
• Basement: Not common knowledge though because Wollaton Hall is situated on a hill, it has hidden corridors at the base of the Elizabethan mansion. Discover the hidden history beneath the Hall with our tour.

Nottingham Industrial Museum

• Nottingham Industrial Museum focuses on the city’s hugely important industrial past. Situated at Wollaton Hall and Deer Park, the museum displays a fascinating collection of rich industrial history – from Tudor mines to the world’s first video recorder.
• Come and learn all about Nottinghamshire’s industrial heritage at the Nottingham Industrial Museum. Our fascinating collection explores our rich industrial history from The Industrial Revolution to the early 20th century.
• Come and discover the history of famous names, for example, Raleigh, Brough, Players, Boots, Humber, and Reader. Also see our collection of working steam, diesel engines, our Victorian kitchen, blacksmith’s forge and woodworking shop.

Deer Park & Gardens

• Wild deer: There are over 90 red and 120 fallow deer at Wollaton. These wild deer are incredible to see, though during the rutting season (September and October), stags are protective of hinds, and during calving season (June and July) deer tend to their young, so we ask the public maintain a safe distance at all times.
• Lake: The Lake is the perfect place to walk around and look out for local wildlife. The birds spotted in this area include jay, nuthatch, sparrowhawk and even ring-necked parakeets. At the far side of the lake there is a false Bridge that was a boathouse designed to enhance the landscape. There have been sightings of northern pike in the lake.
• Play areas: There are two play areas in Wollaton Park, the main one is stationed next to the 508 Café and car park at the main entrance to Wollaton Hall & Deer Park. The other play area can be found en route from Lime Tree Avenue.
• Formal Gardens: The Formal Gardens are located at the back of the magnificent Wollaton Hall, and include several statues, a Doric temple and the Camellia House. The gardens are used throughout the year for events such as outdoor theatre and private events such as weddings.
• Camellia House: The Camellia House is the oldest cast-iron framed greenhouse in Europe, built in 1823, and it is the only remaining one of its kind in this country. Situated in the Formal Gardens, the Camellia House is a beautiful spot to relax in, with flowers blooming between autumn and spring. The Camellia House is available for wedding hire, and is the perfect setting for intimate ceremonies and pre-reception drinks.
• Botanical Garden: The Botanical Garden, situated adjacent to the stable block, is tended to by volunteers of the Nottingham branch of the Hardy Plant Society. The Botanical Garden is open Sundays, 2pm till 4pm, April to October. Plant sales raise money to maintain the garden.
• Walled Garden: Located near the entrance of Wollaton Park, the Walled Garden has been transformed over the last few years by dedicated volunteers, and is now a beautiful space for growing flowers, plants, and vegetables. Discover the garden on a guided tour, or get involved with the project yourself and join our volunteering team!
• Trails: Explore Wollaton Park with our exciting family trails. Hunt for clues, find the answers and claim a prize at the end! Each trail has other fun activities to complete inside. Indoor and outdoor trails are available from the shops.
• Orienteering: Orienteering is a group of sports that require navigational skills using a map and compass to get from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain while moving at speed.
• Bird watching: Bird watchers are regular to Wollaton Hall & Deer Park, with a bird hide located on the western side of the lake. The first three hours of daylight are best to spot most birds. Peregrines become active in mid-morning, when the ground warms up. Waterbirds like ducks and waders are usually seen all day, as well as grey herons. The roost of gulls are naturally seen best before darkness.
• Geocaching: Geocaching is an outdoor treasure-hunting game in which the participants (geocachers) hide and seek containers (called “geocaches” or “caches”) anywhere in the world. With 30 hidden locations within Wollaton Hall & Deer Park to find and log game pieces (called trackables), discover a geocaching app in your app store to join in the fun.
• Den building: Get back to nature in the woods and build your very own den. Use fallen branches and twigs to build a sturdy den, but remember that you need a good foundation before you start. Remember, please don’t cut anything down or damage the wood to construct your den. Keep an eye out for our upcoming den building sessions with one of our Park Rangers.