Basildon Park - National Trust

Basildon Park - National Trust This is a story of grandeur created, dissolved and resurrected - not once, but twice. We welcome feedback – both positive and negative.

Sitting elegantly in 162 hectares (400 acres) of historic parkland and gardens, this 18th-century house was purchased by Lord and Lady Iliffe in the 1950s, when it was de-requisitioned after the Second World War. With extraordinary vision, the Iliffes brought Basildon Park back to life, acquiring a collection of fine furnishings and carefully selected Old Masters. The wooded parkland offers glorio

us seasonal colour, with spring bluebells, summer buttercups and autumn leaves, while the landscape has been carefully restored to offer wonderful views and peaceful trails. House rules: ​


We want our page to be a place where people can share how they feel about the National Trust and talk about their experiences in a fun environment. It helps us to learn and grow. These house rules aim to ensure everyone can enjoy themselves while they’re here: ​


We ask you to be nice and polite to one another – you almost always are! - and respect each other’s views and comments. We ask all users to ensure your contributions are civil, polite, tasteful and suitable for all ages. We won't tolerate disruptive, offensive or abusive behaviour, unlawful or objectionable content. This includes any material which might be defamatory, offensive, infringing, obscene, lewd, pornographic, violent, abusive, insulting, threatening, harassing, discriminatory, blasphemous, indecent or otherwise unlawful or objectionable. It also includes any material which is aggressive, argumentative or likely to be construed as bullying, and it includes spamming or repetition - in particular the posting of off-topic material in subject-specific threads or areas. ​

*Moderation policy* ​
In general, we don’t moderate posts, except on the rare occasions - for example where someone has posted offensive, threatening or libellous content about named or identifiable individuals on our page. We have a duty to protect our staff and volunteers, so while deleting comments is totally out of character for us, our position is that any post containing a libellous accusations, should be removed. We’ll also remove any posts that in any way target individual teams or members of staff. We will not comment on our staff and volunteers in this way in public forums. If any correspondent has feedback to share about any individual members of staff or teams in the organisation, please get in touch with us directly. If an individual continues to post offensive, threatening or libellous content then we’ll be forced to block that person from the page. Similarly, if any individual repeatedly posts contributions of the nature noted above in the 'material' list, we'll again be forced to block that individual from the page (in this scenario, we will have previously warned the individual about their content).​


We won’t tolerate postings, content, or links that are racist, sexist or homophobic. We also don’t permit linking to or posting any content which endorses illegal activity, or any activities against the values of the National Trust. ​
If you’re concerned that a posting or user content has broken any of our house rules or you’re worried about any comment or content then please send us an email to [email protected] and let us know. ​


Finally, please note that the views on our page are created by our community and don’t necessarily represent the views or opinions of National Trust. ​


27/05/2026

All the ingredients of an action movie? Perhaps not, but our rangers really are heroes. Managing and protecting woodlands and parklands every day to make sure our wildlife habitats are best serving nature!



National Trust © Bertie McDonough | BG

25/05/2026

Just another day in the life of a National Trust Ranger!



National Trust © Becky Griffith

24/05/2026

We have exciting news coming soon about the walled garden. In the meantime here is Leo our Ranger installing a gate! Did you know that we use wood from the parkland for posts and fencing as part of the wider conservation and sustainable efforts we take pride in at Basildon Park?



National Trust © Becky Griffith

19/05/2026

We regularly deep clean all the rooms at Basildon Park and this week it was the turn of the grand dining room. The cutlery alone has taken 6 volunteers and staff over a week to carefully clean and report their work by hand. Something to think about next time you're loading the dishwasher 😆



National Trust © Becky Griffith

18/05/2026

The early roses are here and aren't they beautiful? (smell pretty good too!)🌹



National Trust © Becky Griffith | Andie Dexter

Colour detectives trail at Basildon Park from 23 to 31 May 2026Journey around the house and gardens, hunting out pattern...
17/05/2026

Colour detectives trail at Basildon Park from 23 to 31 May 2026

Journey around the house and gardens, hunting out patterns, colours and textures. From dazzling wallpapers to the amazing patterns found in nature, use your colour match guide to get up close and personal.

See our website for details nationaltrust.org.uk/Basildonpark

©National Trust Images/Arnhel de Serra

Sighted guide training by Guide Dogs comes to Basildon Park!Sighted guiding is a simple but empowering skill where a sig...
15/05/2026

Sighted guide training by Guide Dogs comes to Basildon Park!

Sighted guiding is a simple but empowering skill where a sighted person guides someone with sight loss in a person‑centred, respectful and inclusive way.

Guide Dogs are committed to increasing the number of people across the UK who feel confident sighted guiding. This is part of Guide Dog's mission to help create a more inclusive society for people with vision impairments.

Want to learn more about sighted guide training?
Visit the Guide Dogs website at www.guidedogs.org.uk

Interested in training for your organisation?
Email Guide Dogs at [email protected]

Guide Dogs UK

"Couture in Summer? Groundbreaking...." Everyone is talking about fashion this Summer so we are delighted to announce a ...
06/05/2026

"Couture in Summer? Groundbreaking...."

Everyone is talking about fashion this Summer so we are delighted to announce a brand new exhibition coming to Basildon Park. 'Silhouettes of Society' is a fashion exhibition celebrating the life of Lady Iliffe through fashion and design. We have an exciting collection of pieces curated from London Fashion Museum, National Trust Killerton and from Lady Iliffes's collection here at Basildon Park.

Opening on 13 June

"That's all"



National Trust | Ellie Leeson

04/05/2026

Here is a quick guide to some of the things we have coming up this month. May is one of the best times to visit Basildon Park - the gardens come alive, the house is full of stories and there's plenty for families, walkers and Heritage-lovers to enjoy.

National Trust © Becky Griffith


Address

Lower Basildon
Reading
RG89NR

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+441491672382

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Basildon Park - National Trust posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to Basildon Park - National Trust:

Share