Shugborough

Don't miss out on an opportunity to revel in some theatre in the great outdoors.
Join us on the 26th July for The Importance of Being Earnest, and the 1st August for Sense and Sensibility. Make sure to book your place before they sell out.
... https://bit.ly/2MZjUZ4
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Scything is a traditional method of cutting grass. Our rangers find this method very peaceful, and far more environmentally friendly.
Our team will use this skill for many things, such as to remove bracken that is taking over the land and to cut grass to allow flowers to thrive.
Do you practice any traditional skills?

Last month, our ranger volunteers installed a new fenceline on the Satnall Hill's border. This is just a taster of the behind the scenes work that our team do to care for our Estate. Thank you Steve, Richard and the rest of our volunteer team for all the hard work you do.
Do you want to try your hand at crafting in the wilderness? Come along to our Bushcraft events on the 1st, 15th and 26th of August, where you can build your own den and more. Book your spot online here: https://bit.ly/2vKFojQ

Bring a blanket to sit on and let your little explorers discover the thrilling tale of George Anson's turbulent journey around the world during this outdoor event, with our professional sea-faring storyteller.
Stories run from 11am - 11.30am, 1pm - 1.30pm and 3pm - 3.30pm.
Tickets cost £3... Children must be accompanied by an adult (adults free of charge). Normal admission applies.
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There is still time to book onto the highly anticipated watercolour classes with professional artist Sue Chatterton on the 11th and 14th July. Enjoy the summer sun whilst you paint our blooming dahlias.
Course costs £25 and all supplies will be provided. https://bit.ly/2Js1O3t

Take advantage of the warm weather, and visit us to enjoy the summer weather. Bring a book and a picnic and relax in the sun.
When you enjoy nature's wonders, it helps us nurture our historic garden.
https://bit.ly/2wG3f4d

Due to the threat of wildfires, we are choosing not to use our over flow car parks as they stand on very dry grass.
This means that we have limited car parking spaces this weekend, so please bare that in mind if you decide to visit us. There may be a chance of us having to use a one-in-one-out car parking system.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, your safety is our main concern.

Summertime is here, so join us for our summer of discovery.
From trails to bushcraft, there is so much for you to bring your family to and enjoy at Shugborough Estate. Book onto our events before spaces run out
https://bit.ly/2lipAkY

Don't forget about our episode of Secrets of the National Trust on Channel 5 tonight at 9pm.
We'd love to hear what you think, and if you recognise any of the special places featured bit.ly/2ICbwxe

Join us and watch Channel 5 at 9pm on Wednesday, and see Alan Titchmarsh explore Shugborough in the Secrets of the National Trust.
Here is a little sneak preview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nhfwsOS8 Yc

Get creative and learn a new skill in the sun here at Shugborough and take part in our watercolour classes in July.
There are plenty more opportunities to get crafty with the National Trust in the Midlands. Why not learn different styles of embroidery at Wightwick Manor & Gardens and Sunnycroft or make a pole lathe bowl at Moseley Old Hall?
https://bit.ly/2Js1O3t

Our Walled Garden is full of life, with fruit and vegetables growing and the first blooms of our Dahlias in the re-imagined glasshouse.
When you visit our gardens, you help to make them grow.
https://bit.ly/2NaAt52

We have an exciting job opportunity for a facilities assistant to join us at Shugborough.
You'll help us with the day to day cleanliness and presentation of Shugborough and its outdoor spaces. Your days will sure to be varied and rewarding.
Applications close on the 3rd July, so don't miss out... https://bit.ly/2KmaXuR
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We have started an important conservation project to replace the fire alarm systems in the Mansion.
This means that two rooms, the Red Drawing Room and the Room of Imaginary Landscape, will be temporarily covered to protect the collection. But don't be alarmed, the Mansion will still be open and we encourage you to visit to see the work in progress.
We wouldnt be able to do these major conservation projects without your support.
... Click to link to find out more. https://bit.ly/2t9Z9SU
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Have you just arrived home from university, or perhaps you have more time available during the summer?
We have an exciting new opportunity to volunteer with us in our Lichfield Apartment over the summer, to make sure it stays open for longer.
Click through to this link to see more about this brilliant role.
... https://bit.ly/2K6390x
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Please note: The Lichfield Apartment will be closed today (21/06/18). We apologise for any inconvenience.

Join us on our summer of discovery. Bring your friends and family to enjoy an array of events, such as our series of outdoor theatre performances.
Enjoy Sense and Sensibility, The Importance of Being Earnest and Peter Pan, as you sit in the beautiful surroundings of Shugborough. When you make memories at our performances, your support allow us to keep taking care of the estate.
https://bit.ly/2lipAkY

Did somebody say... biscuits?! 🐱🍪 . . . #catsofinstagram #tillythefarmcat #food #cute #ntshugborough #ntmidlands #nationaltrust #cats @ Shugborough

The Shug Pigs are getting ready for the World Cup match tonight.
Did you know that pigs require a high level of stimulation to keep them happy? Our farm has recieved the RSPCA freedom foods accreditation, meaning our pigs are being incredibly well looked after. Come and visit them between matches and see for yourself.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/shugboro ugh-es…/…/park-farm

Did you know that our rangers have found the rare small pearl-bordered fritillary butterfly out in Sherbrook Valley?
Read more about how they work had to look after the habitat of this special insect
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/…/the- small-pearl-bordered…

We had a fantastic day around the estate, recommend it to any families as so much to do. National trust membership cards are also well worth the money and support a good cause �

Shugborough has to be one of our favourite NT places to visit along with Attingham Park and Wightwick Manor. We do miss the train as that was a firm favourite with our little boy but the grounds are spectacular, which is wonderful for us as we are photographers.



I recommend the cafe at the farm if you have children and the one beside the servants quarters if you do not.



Shugborough is a beautiful house and a beautiful garden to stroll around. The new playground by the walled garden is heaps of fun and captivates our children for hours!

My Wife and I were privileged to act as "guinea pigs" for the first public participation in weighing last year's lambs on the estate on Tuesday the 12th of June 2018. We also learned from the very knowledgeable farm team about grazing, welfare and how to determine the quality of meat on a sheep with a bit of hands on gentle poking and prodding. There was only one other person joining us sadly but I'm sure this will increase over time with this glowing review. Very enjoyable, thank you :-)

It has been many years since I have visited the Shugborough Estate,and I have now visited on four occasions being a National trust member. I have to say my initial visit left me quite disgusted at the state the council had let the magnificent buildings and estate fall into. Thankfully the Trust seem to have got to grips with the huge task needed in return the estate to its former glory. Every subsequent visit there has been a dramatic improvement in facilities, exhibits and slowly but surely the working farm is being restocked. I was shocked to be told by a volunteer that the staircase had fallen into dangerous condition, another legacy of council neglect, and will be revisiting when repaired to look at the upstairs area. My overall impression Is what a wonderful estate with amazing potential, which I have every faith the Trust will take maximum advantage of. Looking forward to my next visit. Keep up the good work.

I am a local to Shugborough but it was a very nice morning looking at the newly opened apartments of Lord Lichfield. Well worth a visit as everything in there is from when he was there. You even see the bedrooms and one which was always reserved for Princess Margaret. Very spacious and it gives you an insight into the privileged background of Patrick Lichfield. Thank goodness for The National Trust as if left to the previous owners it would eventually have been lost. You cannot take photos or take backpacks into his apartments but apart from that you are free to roam around at your will or ask the volunteers questions if need be.

Great farm area and the actual estate was gorgeous..not to mention the outstanding gardens.. The mansion was a mind of information showing the history of the the owners and what happened to both of the in later lives. There was lots for children to do as well very hands On, and you were allowed to pick up and touch some of the items.. there were some magnificent monuments in the grounds which unfortunately we ran out of time to see, so will definitely have to come back...

We had a wonderful day today at the estate. Yes the grounds do need some work but it’s also work in progress. NT only took back control of it in 2016 so it’s bound to take time to grow the plants, clean up the entire grounds. Plus it is huge!



When it’s finished it will be spectacular

Shugborough hall was owned by Staffordshire council till March this year when it was purchased by NationalTrust. The house is lovely and well worth going in. We visited Lord Lichfield's apartments, you can't take any photo's in there as it is now a privately owned collection. The gardens are nice and lots of walks round the monuments. The cafe by the house was nice with nice food, there is also another cafe by the farm, not many animals there yet as still awaiting licences, but some sheep, geese and longhorn cows.

Lovely day out, very friendly staff, amazing setting for country walks, great facilities for people with wheel chairs. Not really suitable for children until the outdoor play area is finished. Farm is currently being restocked but there are rare breeds of sheep and cows being raised there. Food also expensive so would recommend you bring a drink unless you are ok paying £2 for water. Litchfield Apartments are fascinating and even if you haven't heard of the photographer its like stepping back in time to the 70's. But due to the size you buy tickets for a particular time slot.

I am a local NT member and continue to enjoy & appreciate most aspects of Shugborough. However I can't give it 5 stars due to our experience of the two cafes. I am reluctant to criticise an organisation I am part off and do so hoping to improve things rather than for the sake of slagging the place off. Yesterday we timed our arrival to coincide with the stated 09:30 opening of the farm cafe expecting to be able to get something like a bacon bap for breakfast at about 09:45. The guy serving looked surprised to see anyone, said there was nothing hot ready and did not know when it would be and suggested we try the Mansion Cafe instead. The Mansion Cafe was listed on the website at opening at 10am. So we were surprised to find it still closed after 10am. A woman cleaning said she thought it opened at 10:30 and another guy said that was correct and the website / NT book was wrong. So after waiting a while we went for our walk and did not bother going back to spend our money at either cafe having had a poor experience. I do not blame the serving staff but I do think the management could get a better grip of the cafes at this time in the morning. If you say you are going to be open - be open and ready for business. We had a poor experience last year too at the Farm Cafe with inadequate numbers of serving staff on hand to cope with the volume of customers ordering. Hopefully next time we visit things will have improved as we like to spend at NT properties when given the chance to do so.

Great place. Lovely grounds, helpful staff , nice tea room and lots to see

We enjoyed our visit but I preferred it before National Trust took over. The rooms were more interesting on our previous visit. Downstairs is now very sparsely displayed with artefacts placed on huge wooden crates. Upstairs was not open, though they will reopen this and Lord Lichfield's apartments at the end of August. It could be more child friendly, hopefully it will be more so in the future. They could do with some printed tick sheets for finding the hidden toy cats like they have in other trust properties. The tennis and badminton in the tennis courts was a nice touch but could have been better signposted and labelled. The most interesting area was below stairs in the servants quarters where the kitchens, laundry and living quarters were well stocked and displayed. We will be returning later this year and hope to see some more improvements made.

As a National Trust member I have been looking forward to visiting Shugborough since it came back into the collection, and have eagerly watched some of the renovation work via media which has been put out.

I finally got the chance to explore the estate today with my family. Unfortunately it didn’t meet my expectations, and in some cases left a bit of a nasty taste.

We were aware of the closure of the play area for the morning, but were told by the man on welcome in the entrance that it would be open again in the afternoon. We waited until 2pm, only to be told that it would not be opening... had we known this we would have planned our day differently and the children would not have gotten their hopes up.

However, that was not a major issue and we soon got over it.

What I am more angry about was that when we went into the mansion (which was wonderful - loved all the treasures set out) there was a gentleman who told me I was not allowed to give my 18 month old daughter a drink of water from her non-spill sippy cup. I was baffled by this and very upset. It was a case of retrieving the cup from my back pack for all of 2 minutes so she could have a drink, and although I had seen the sign stating no food or drink, I thought that for an infant with a non spill cup they may be bendable? Seeing as the NT is supposedly a family oriented organisation who values having children exploring their sites?

When we have visited numerous other sites staff have been so accommodating and warm. It was a total shock.

There were also comments made from other staff about how there “wasn’t much entertainment” for children in the house. Again, I was shocked as we had three children aged 6, 8, and 10 with us, who were loving looking at the artefacts and were very well behaved. It made me sad that it felt they weren’t valued as young NT members. We need to educate children on these treasured places while they’re young and help them to feel welcome.

Thankfully I have not had these problems elsewhere, and we will most likely be back in the summer when things are more finished up. Just needed to review this visit honestly as it has played on my mind.

Today was the first time we’ve visited since Shugborough was taken over by the National Trust. We won’t be going again. When we have been previously there has been much more to see as well as staff all over the site providing people with information and interacting with the children. There were no animals in the farm and nothing happening in the farm house or other buildings. It was a disappointing day out.

Shugborough used to be a lovely place to take the kids, with its farm, kids playground and interactive servants’ quarters. Unfortunately, all of that has gone now and our visit today was pretty disappointing. £35 for a family ticket to basically walk around the grounds. I know the NT has a 10 yr plan but I won’t be visiting again anytime soon at that price.

I've always enjoyed Shugborough. Went with our two children today and we had a very pleasant walk in the sunshine. However we were not impressed with the Easter Wild Life Trail. We paid £2 per child and this is not a lot of money and I don't begrudge giving a little extra to the NT. However, the "Wild Life Trail' was little more than a walk around the grounds which we didn't need a map for. Some binoculars were left out to look at owls!!?? The binoculars were full of condensation and we could see nothing. We didn't find the maze - what was this about? Just negotiating around natural obstacles with your eyes shut? Or did we miss something. The trail was poorly marked and if I couldn't read a map I'd have had little idea where to go. We pretty much gave up as the children were not really inspired. Sorry NT - but could have done much better.

We were also very disappointed with the cakes in the cafe!! £3.25 each for dry tasteless sponge cakes (almost £10 for the 3 of us!). The sweet things used to be really tasty in the mansion cafe but not any more. Won't be visiting again any time soon.

I am a big supporter of the National Trust. I can see the wonderful improvements to the walled garden and farm. I’m saddened to see the state of the house. I’ve always loved walking around the house, imagining what it was like to live there. The wonderful dining room is packed away and the house now resembles an exhibition area. I appreciate that the majority of the furniture was not original to the house but it was authentic and loaned from other properties. I understand there is a ten year plan and that vital work is necessary but why make the house into a display area, rather than keeping it as a home? I don’t think I’ll go in the house again. If I had never been before I wouldn’t be planning a return visit. I will continue to enjoy the beautiful grounds and have my memories of beautiful grand house.

As a member we didn’t pay to get in but at the prices charged I would have been appalled if I had. I wouldn’t recommend here for children at all - other than the playground there is nothing aimed at children - no children’s trails, the “farm” was 6 pigs that my seven year old had to be lifted to see over a small wall as the gate was padlocked, the house had nothing for the children to look out for to get them interested in the history of the property. The farm cafe was closed despite being advertised as open on the app - we asked a man who worked there where the cafe was and he simply said there’s supposed to be one here but they decided not to open it today but have you seen our pigs?! We ate in the tea rooms as this was the only option - advertised as table service but it was not. The website said “spring has sprung in the gardens” - I saw absolutely no evidence of this and not lots of colours as advertised. I was also not a fan of the electric fence keeping the sheep in the Fields with only small yellow signs on - accident waiting to happen. On a plus note there were lots of toilets. I think this property could learn a lot about family days out from other fantastic NT properties such as Lyme, Dunham Massey, Bodmant Gardens to name but a few. Such a shame as has great potential with a little more thought.

My last visit was a few years ago and Shugborough hall is nothing like it used to be. My son was so excited to see all the animals lucky for me it's easy to entertain a 2 year old with a few sheep, 3 pigs 2 swans and a squirrel running across the field. The cafe was even closed before it should have been so couldn't even treat him. Myself and my husband not so impressed, over priced visit to see something I could have went to Sandwell valley for!!