Just 21 miles north of London lies one of England's finest historic houses and, surrounding the house, a very unique and raved about gardens.

Hatfield House, which sits in a charming small old village of the same name, dates from the early 1600s when the Earl of Salisbury built what is now called one of the finest Jacobean mansions in Britain.

There are three main components to a Hatfield House visit - Hatfield House itself, the Tudor Old Palace, which pre-dated the House but only parts of which remain, and The Garden and The Park.

The house was lavishly furnished and the trappings of faded luxury are found throughout the house. There are the usual clutter of old paintings exquisite furnishings and the raved about finely carved Grand Staircase and splendid stained-glass windows in its chapel.

Getting to Hatfield and Hatfield House is a snap - frequent trains from London screech to halt at a small station a very short walk from the station.

Anyone been to Hatfield House and wish to share their views?

It's alright but it's not worth thhe bother IMHO.

I like Hatfield House, it is not on the same scale as Hampton Court but the interior is lovely & so are the gardens. The Marble Hall, Armoury are all worth seeing, there is all sorts of stuff in there from QEI, letters, gloves etc, paintings and some Roman relics found in the local area.

Old Hatfield has interesting Georgian buildings and old pubs, nice church at the entrance to the Old Palace. They used to have medieval-style banquets in the Old Palace, don't know if they still do and whether it would be good. The new town of Hatfield is not very nice however.

Nice photos of Hatfield House and area on the official site:

http://www.hatfield-house.co.uk/

Pal, I really want to see it. It was closed when we were there last year. I will go next year. I love Gloriana, and all things Elizabethan.

THE GARDEN
The Garden abutting the house is a major attraction - esp for gardeners. Very famous for its collection of non-native plants whose ancestors were collected from all over the world - plants that had never been cultivated in England.

The West Garden has a scented garden, herb garden and Knot Garden.

In spring the Garden is a blaze of colors - with masses of bluebells, daffodils, camellias and rhododendrons.

The East Garden is known for its exquisite parterres and more rare plants.

Queen Elizabeth I spent a large part of the kidhood at Hatfield House and was here when she was proclaimed queen after the death of her sister (Mary Tudor) and held her first council in the house's Great Hall.

I was at Hatfield House nearly 30 years ago and loved it. I went because of the association with Elizabeth I but found much else of interest. The guide who took us through the house was wonderful--full of stories of the family and their many quirks. My fond memories may also be partly due to the weather. There has been 17 days of rainy cold weather (I wore the one turtle neck I had brought and the one sweater under my raincoat every day and still froze.) and that morning I woke up to sun and warm summery weather. (Good thing as it was St. Swithin's Day!)

Hope you enjoy it as well.

10.50 Pounds for individual adults to enter (9.50 if a 'senior', usually 60 and over in UK IME)

Separate admission for the East Garden, which is open only on Thursdays it seems.

I had a Great British Heritage Pass so i just flashed it and went in - this one visit - then about $20 paid for about a 1/3 of the pass price, which i also used in London at St Paul's Cathedral, the Globe Experience and several lesser places like the Banqueting Hall. As i also went to Stratford that trip i could use the pass at all the several Shakespeare properties there as well. Check it out - Great British Heritage Pass! (According to janisj you can now buy the pass at many places covered... but this has not been my experience but then i have not gone to the plethora of palaces, stately houses, abbeys, etc. jj has.)

THE GREAT HALL

The only substantial remnant of the Old Tudor Palace that once stood on the west side of today's Hatfield House is the famous Great Hall - the quintessential ornately decorated main hall where special occasions took place. This was where Elizabeth I was declared Queen and held her first government council.

And you can rent out the Great Hall for a memorable venue for weddings and social functions.