Bulstrode Park

Bulstrode Park is a Victorian country house set in a large historic park just south-west of Gerrards Cross in Buckinghamshire. The estate straddles three parishes (Gerrards Cross, Chalfont St Peter and Fulmer) and its story begins before the Norman Conquest.

Can you visit Bulstrode Park?

No. The house and grounds are private and are not run as a public attraction. Since 2013 the estate has had a private owner, who has obtained planning permission to turn the mansion into a luxury hotel. If you are planning a trip to the area, check the current status of that project first, as it determines whether any part of the site will open to guests.

What is the history of Bulstrode?

Sources derive the name from Old English words for a fort and a marsh. A park has existed here since the early Middle Ages. Between 1676 and 1685 a mansion was built for Judge George Jeffreys, later Lord Chancellor under James II.

The house standing today was designed by Benjamin Ferrey and built in 1860-62 for the 12th Duke of Somerset. It is a sprawling red-brick building in a Tudor-Gothic style. Historic England lists the house at Grade II.

In the 20th century the estate passed to Sir John Ramsden, who planted a notable collection of rhododendrons. After the Second World War the land was divided. In 1967 the missionary organisation Worldwide Evangelization Crusade bought the house and used it as its headquarters until 2013.

What makes the park special?

The park and garden are registered at Grade II* (entered on the register in 1987) and cover roughly 140 hectares. The early 18th-century formal gardens are attributed to Henry Wise. They were given a more natural look in the late 1700s, and Humphry Repton improved the landscape park, proposing a carriage drive around the grounds, trimming the pleasure grounds and simplifying the layout. Many of the park's trees date from that era.

Within the former parkland lies Bulstrode Camp, an Iron Age hillfort protected as a scheduled monument.

How do you get to the area?

The nearest town is Gerrards Cross, on the Chiltern Railways line from London Marylebone. The estate lies a few kilometres to the south-west, so a car or taxi is the easiest way to reach it. The house itself can be seen mainly from the outside, from public roads in the surrounding area.

Frequently asked questions

Is Bulstrode Park open to the public? No. It is private property with no regular visiting.

Who built the present mansion? Benjamin Ferrey, in 1860-62, for the Duke of Somerset. An earlier house from the late 17th century was built for Judge Jeffreys.

What heritage protection does it have? The house is listed Grade II, and the park and garden are registered Grade II*.

What is happening to the house now? After the missionary organisation left in 2013, a private owner secured planning permission for a hotel conversion.