Day Planner

What to do on site?
Which English Heritage properties are nearby?
Which other places of interest are nearby?

What to do on site?

House

Suggested time needed: 1 hour

A day spent at Kenwood is a timeless pleasure – one that has been enjoyed for decades by visitors and locals alike. Enjoy the sweep of the drive as you make your way to the house. Inside this wonderful villa, is an unrivalled art collection with names such as Rembrandt, Turner, Reynolds, Gainsborough and Vermeer.

Admire the Adam Library – one of the most important rooms designed by Robert Adam in the country.
Go upstairs to discover the magnificent full length Elizabethan portraits of the Suffolk Collection and examine the amazing costume details.

Gardens

Suggested time needed: 1 hour plus

Then take a turn outside and enjoy the views across the heath, with a panoramic view over London and beyond.

Explore the gardens which are beautiful, particularly in the spring when the bluebells are out and the rhododendrons are in full bloom.
See if you can find the sculptures around the park including ones by Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth

Refreshments

Suggested time needed: 30 minutes – 1 hour

Take a tip from the locals and head for the Brew House situated in the Service Wing adjacent to Kenwood House. Sit inside or out and enjoy a home-cooked meal in wonderful surroundings.

The Brew House is open daily for hot breakfast & lunch, as well as sandwiches, pastries and homemade cakes throughout the day.

The Steward's Room is also open daily offering a takeaway service that is good value for money.

Shop

Suggested time needed: 15 – 30 minutes

There are two complementary gift shops at Kenwood. The shop inside the house has an excellent range of books and souvenirs related to Kenwood and Hampstead Heath. We also have the Kenwood Garden Shop next to the Brew House which sells plants, items for the gardener and ranges of cards & unusual gifts.

Events

We have a range of events – from family trails, to talks and tours. There is the chance to go ‘Bat Spotting’ and see the pipistrelle bats roosting. Visit www.english-heritage.org.uk/events for more details.

Which English Heritage properties are nearby?

Jewel Tower

Distance: 7 miles

Standing opposite the Houses of Parliament, this originally moated medieval tower was built in c1365 as a treasury of royal valuables and rich robes.

Wellington Arch

Distance: 6 miles

Set in the heart of Royal London, this splendid triumphal arch at Hyde Park Corner was originally designed as a grand approach to Buckingham Palace and completed in 1830.

Apsley House

Distance: 6 miles

Apsley House is one of London’s finest mansions, and is still the residence of Wellington’s descendants. Inside you can view many aspects of the first Duke’s life, most outstandingly his amazing art treasures set in the palatial State Rooms.

Which other places of interest are nearby?

Highgate Cemetery

Distance: 2.3 miles

It has been said that Highgate has the finest collection of Victorian funerary architecture in the country with many listed buildings. There are known to be at least 850 notable people buried at Highgate. Amongst these are Faraday, Karl Marx, George Eliot and Sir Ralph Richardson.

Hampstead and Highgate Villages

Why not combine a visit to Kenwood House and Estate with a wander around Hampstead or Highgate Villages nearby? Hampstead has long been one of London’s most desirable places to live and boasts Blue Plaques to famous former residents including Keats, Lord Byron, Ian Fleming and John Constable.

Highgate Village is lined by wonderful pubs, shops and café’s that give it a real ‘country village’ feel.

English Heritage Properties nearby

Other nearby attractions