House & GardenHertfordshireEnglish Heritage4.5
Free admission for everyone; membership is not required. Parking and transport are separate.
The Trust's page does not say how parking is charged.
The pin uses Verulamium Museum public parking, roughly two miles from the ruins via Gorhambury Drive. Charges apply but the current tariff is not confirmed. Closer vehicle access is limited to Thursdays, May-September, 14:00-17:00, subject to estate closures; otherwise do not drive onto the estate.
Old Gorhambury House is the ruined Elizabethan home of Sir Nicholas Bacon, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, built between 1563 and 1568 outside St Albans. Its elaborate entrance porch still advertises his status, with classical columns and ornament surviving beside fragments of the once extensive mansion. His son, the philosopher Francis Bacon, later enlarged the house and gardens before a replacement residence was built elsewhere on the estate in the eighteenth century. Visitors find the information panels useful for reconstructing the lost building, but often regard the journey through the parkland as an equally rewarding part of the visit. The normal approach follows Gorhambury Drive, a permissive walking and cycling route with closure dates and strict gate times. Allow for roughly two miles each way from nearby public parking and check the estate's current notices.
Any reasonable daylight hours but not earlier than 8am or later than 6pm (last access to drive at 5.30pm and gate is locked at 6pm). Access is via the permissive path Gorhambury Drive. This is closed to the public on 1 June, most Saturdays and some weekdays from September to January so it is not possible to visit the site on these days. Please check the Gorhambury Estate's website for current closure details for the drive before you visit . The walk or cycle up Gorhambury Drive to the site is about 2 miles from the nearest parking. Closer access by car, followed by a ½-mile walk, is limited to Thurdays only, May to September 2pm-5pm.
Last access to Gorhambury Drive is 17:30; gates lock at 18:00. Estate closures override these hours. The estate's remaining published drive closures are 23, 26 and 30 September and 3, 10, 15, 17, 24, 28 and 31 October 2026. EH also says the drive is generally closed on Saturdays from 1 September to 1 February; check the estate website for your date.
Mostly mown grass with some gravel and paving; a few steps can be avoided. Access is through a private estate with permissive routes and locked gates. No facilities at the ruins.
Estate closure information: https://www.gorhamburyestate.co.uk/Gorhambury-Drive
Free admission for everyone; membership is not required. Parking and transport are separate.
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Dogs, with restrictions
Marked permissive walking and cycling routes across the private estate from Bluehouse Hill, Beech Tree Lane and Redbourn Road. Usually 08:00-18:00, last entry 17:30, with announced closures. Paid public parking is separate; pet dogs must remain on leads and cannot enter the house ruins.
