A visit to Painshill Park, Surrey

One of the most beautiful places to visit in Surrey is Painshill Park, a magnificent 18^th Century landscape garden in Cobham.

Designed as a living artwork, Painshill Park has stunning vistas, inspired by Italian artwork.  It has a collection of beautiful features and follies, including the Gothic Temple, Ruined Abbey and Temple of Bacchus.  Plus it has a unique Crystal Grotto, with over 10, 000 crystals!

Painshill is one of the most important gardens in Surrey and is ideal for garden enthusiasts.  However, it is also very family-friendly and makes a fantastic day out for visitors of any age.  Bridgerton-fans will love it too, as they’ve filmed several scenes here.   Keep your eyes out for the iconic 5-arch bridge and serpentine lake, which both appear in this period drama.

Read on to discover all the best things to see on a visit to Painshill Park in Surrey.

But first, let’s start with a brief history of the place.  Painshill Park was created by the Hon. Charles Hamilton between 1738 and 1773. Over 35 years he transformed an area of rough heathland into one of the most significant gardens in Europe.

The design for his pleasure gardens were greatly influenced by his two Grand Tours to Italy.  As he returned from his travels, he wanted to create a magical garden, styled on the Renaissance art he’d seen overseas.  He imagined a less formal style of garden, with ornamental features throughout.  In his vision, the garden would be a “living painting”, achieved with follies and exotic plants.

Unfortunately, Hamilton the cost of funding his masterpiece led to ever-increasing debts and eventually he was forced to sell Painshill Park.  After the war, the gardens fell into disrepair and had to be sold off in parts.

However, the fate of Painshill Park changed in the 1980s when restoration work began on the park.  Luckily, much of the original design was salvaged and today the gardens are once again immaculate.  Nowadays, it has resumed its position as one of the most popular gardens to visit in Surrey.

Set over 158 acres, you could easily spend a couple of hours walking around the gardens at Painshill Park.  It’s easy to self-navigate and there really are plenty of things to see.

There are also several signposted walks, but if you want to see everything, follow the red signs for the main historic route.

The historic route is approximately 2.5 miles and leads to the far end of Painshill Park, taking in all the principal landmarks.  However, there is also a shorter, blue accessible route, of 1.5 miles, which follows the perimeter of the lake.

Both walking routes start on the same trail at the entrance and it’s easy to do a combination of both.  We started on the blue route and joined with the red route by Woollett Bridge. This took us between the River Mole and Serpentine Lake, providing fantastic morning views of the first folly, the Ruined Abbey.

The second folly on the blue route is the Mausoleum, built by Hamilton as a Roman arch.   Originally, this would have had plaques and inscriptions brought back from the Grand Tour.

From here, we followed down to the river to see the wooden Water Wheel.  Unlike most of the other features at Painshill, which served no purpose, the Water Wheel was a functional machine.  It was constructed to collect water from the River Mole to feed into the lake.

The informal landscape at the far end of Painshill Park is a stark contrast to the elegant grounds surrounding the lake.  If you follow the woodland path through the Alpine Valley, you’ll arrive at the Gothic Tower.

The fairy tale tower is 27-metre tall and dominates the western end of the park. Just think of Rapunzel and you’ll get the picture.

You can climb the circular staircase inside the tower for breathtaking views over the local countryside.  On a clear day, you can even see as far as Windsor Castle and London.

In summer, you can stop here for refreshments in the pop-up café in the tower.  (Check the website for opening hours)

On your way to the Gothic Tower, keep an eye out for The Hidden Hermitage.  This small rustic hut lies at the edge of the woods looking out over the River Mole and surrounding fields.   Legend says that Hamilton employed the Hermit with a contract of seven years.

However, after only three weeks in the job, they found the Hermit drowning his sorrows in one of the local inns.  Apparently, he never returned.  This comes as no surprise when you see the uncomfortable wooden bed and chair which furnished his hut!

On the return to the lake, the most prominent landmark is the splendid Temple of Bacchus.  This folly houses Hamilton’s statue of Bacchus, which he’d purchased on his European travels.

From a distance you’ll see a row of Roman statues in between the columns.  However, on closer inspection, you’ll discover that they are just pictures of statues and the only genuine article is inside.

Passing by the Turkish Tent, we returned down to the Five-Arch Bridge.  This is the most striking of the three bridges at Painshill Park.  If you catch it at the right time, you’ll get a full reflection in the lake, which looks amazing.

One of the most unique attractions at Painshill Park is the Crystal Grotto.   Located on a small island on the serpentine lake, the Crystal Grotto is a manmade cavern covered wall-to-ceiling in sparkly crystals.  10,000 to be precise!

There are crystals everywhere, which shimmer round the grotto and reflect on the water.

This is one of the highlights of Painshill Park and fun for kids to explore.  There is also a natural playground for children (near the entrance).

The last stop on our visit to Painshill Park was a walk up the hill to the Gothic Temple.  This white building was designed to frame the landscape below like a picture.  From here you get sweeping views over the lake and gardens.  It’s a top spot for Instagrammers!

If you think you recognise the landscape at Painshill, you may have seen it on the big screen.  It’s a popular filming location and has been used for popular films such as 101 Dalmations and Dorian Gray.  It was also one of the sets for Netflix’s popular period drama, Bridgerton.

For current admission prices and opening hours at Painshill Park, please click here.

If it’s a sunny day, take a picnic and eat with views of the lake.  Alternatively, there is a tea room in the Visitor Centre, where you can get light lunches, cakes and drinks.

You’ll also find a temporary Horsebox Café and ice-cream hut on summer weekends.

The easiest way to get to Painshill Park is by car.   It is easily accessible on the M25 (Junction 10)/A3.  Once you arrive, there is plenty of free parking.

The nearest station to Painshill Park is Cobham & Stoke d’Abernon.  Direct trains run from London Waterloo to Cobham and take about 40 minutes.  However, Painshill Park is about 2 miles from the station, so you’d need to take a taxi or walk.  This would take another 40 minutes.

If you’re travelling by bus, take routes 715 or 408 which both stop at Painshill Park.

Have you been on a visit to Painshill Park?  We’d love to hear your comments below.

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