This review of Stonor Park was written during the partial lifting of lockdown. It has been updated since then. When we visited the house was closed, as was Wonder Woods, the chapel and the restaurant. The gardens and the wider parkland were open and social distancing measures were in place. Since then Wonder Woods has had a serious upgrade – so much the replacement adventure playground at Stonor Park now has its own review. Check that out here.
Stonor Deer Park
The wider estate at Stonor Park is a massive Deer Park. There is a public footpath that goes through this park and leads up to a spectacular vantage point to see for miles. When we visited Stonor Park to do this review the deer were about to have their babies. We were asked not to go anywhere near them. That’s fair enough, everyone is grumpy in the days before they give birth!!
The estate is massive. I’m sure there are various walks you can take. I have tried to find a map of the park but there’s nothing on the website and, because the visitor centre wasn’t open, we couldn’t get one from there. There’s every possibility we missed some good things.
Stonor Stone Circle
The stone circle at Stonor Park is ancient, but again I only know that from the website. There’s no signage anywhere so people might easily miss it. You could be forgiven for thinking it was just an ornamental part of the garden. Granted, it’s nothing compared to Stonehenge or Avebury stone circle but it’s still pretty cool to have a prehistoric stone circle on your front lawn!!
The formal gardens
The gardens at Stonor Park are much smaller than I was expecting. Not like normal garden size, but also not typical stately home formal garden size. There are three sections There’s the pleasure gardens with tadpole packed ponds and some stunning flowers. Nestled in one of the corners is a little Japanese house which is quite cool.
We really liked the kitchen garden. There’s loads of space to run around between the trees and a great spot for rolling downhill. The Ladies Walk is a pretty little woodland-esque walk. It’s a bit quieter in here and the kids really enjoyed digging around for hazelnuts. There’s not really a lot to see here though. We were in the gardens for 45 minutes, which is a lot less time that I was expecting before we arrived.
Wonder Woods
The first time we visited Stonor Park their adventure playground area was called Wonder Woods. Since then it’s had a serious upgrade and is now called Tumblestone Hollow. Read all about that here.
Our Stonor Park Review
It’s taken me a few days to write up this review about Stonor Park as I wanted to think on it. There are a couple of negatives to this place. The formal gardens are quite small. Like I say, we only spent 45 minutes in them. If you’re only visiting the gardens, £22 for a family of four for 45 minutes seems very expensive. The wider park is lovely, but you don’t have to pay for the gardens to look around that.
The other BIG issue I had with this place is signage, and a lack thereof. It’s really crap. There’s a tiny hard-standing car park. Once this is full there’s a sign that says overflow parking straight on, but then there’s nothing. Apparently where we ended up parking was actually the picnic area, but we very much weren’t alone in parking there. I still have no idea where the overflow parking actually is. There’s also only one road in and out of Stonor Park. It’s a narrow road and doesn’t fit two cars. There’s no signs saying that road is the exit though, except for one on the drive thanking you for your visit. They really need to widen that road, or add in proper passing places. It’s not like they don’t have the space.
The other gripe we had was lack of signage in the gardens and stone circle. It would have been nice for there to be some info about the circle and some labels on the plants.
I’d go back to walk around the park, but I’m not sure I’d visit the gardens alone again. We will have to return to look around the house, but currently I don’t think a gardens only ticket is worth the money.
Admission
Tumblestone Hollow – £9 per adult, £9-11.50 per child
Gardens only – £6.50 per adult, £4.50 per child
House, chapel, gardens no Tumblestone Hollow – £10.50 Adult, £5 Child
House, chapel, gardens and Tumblestone Hollow – £10.50 Adult, £9-11.50 per child
All prices are correct at the time this review of Stonor Park was written / updated. Check their website for the latest prices.
Parking / How to get there
There is a small car park and overflow parking, but I don’t know where that is. Try to follow the signs!!
How to get there – Stonor, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire RG9 6HF
Food
There is a restaurant on-site and picnics are welcome in the deer park
Toilets
There are toilets on-site
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Hi, I’m Vicky. My husband and I live in Aylesbury with our three children; a 14 year old son, an 12 year old son and a 6 year old daughter. I (mostly) love spending time together as a family. We visit all kinds of places and we’re quite happy to drive a fair distance for a decent day out. A few years ago I decided to set up Free Time with the Kids as a way to share our experiences of these family days out.
You’ll find the essential information you need to know before your visit that can be surprisingly hard to find out. Where do I park? How much will it cost me to get in? Are there any discounts available? Are there loos? Can I take a picnic or get food? My aim is to be your go-to guide for all your free and cheap family days out across Bucks, Beds, Oxon, Herts & slightly beyond. I really hope you find the reviews helpful. If there’s anywhere that you’d recommend please get in touch contact@freetimewiththekids.com or get in touch via Facebook
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