Forty Hall Museum
What Visitors Say
A lovely house to look round and the grounds give you plenty of space to wander and enjoy the plants. There are activities for children during the holidays. The lake is a great place to sit and enjoy the view. You can get a nice coffee and cake in the cafe.
Great place, full price of history and preserved heritage! Lots of knowledge we gained from our visit. The coffee shop was also very cozy and the staff super friendly. Had a delicious scone with cappuccino after the long walk we took. Highly recommended!
Forty Hall Estate is an absolute gem — a perfect blend of history, charm, and nature. I was invited to illustrate guests live during a wedding here, and the setting couldn’t have been more inspiring. The manor and gardens are stunning, and the wedding team were wonderfully helpful and welcoming throughout the day.💜💜💜 Hera Hsu Live Wedding Artist
Fab family day out. Beautiful nature trails, decent cafe. So surprising this is in London! Free parking and entry on top, which is always a surprise.
This is great place for family visit, especially North London. It has good trees collection, water bodies. Good trails for walks. Overall very good for 1 to 2 hours of outing with kids. It has it's cafe. Good history about mayor of London. Free parking
Highlights
Great Stair & Hall
A Jacobean ‘first impression’ machineDark timber, portrait glances and a confidently wide stair telegraph the owner’s rise from trade to power.
Ground floor, entrance range
Withdrawing Room
Status with a fireplacePanelled walls and deep windows show how comfort and display were stitched together in the 1620s.
First floor, south front
Estate Loop Walk
House + landscape = one designA quick circuit reveals how views were framed to sell ‘country’ calm a day’s ride from the City.
Lake–Orchard–Lime Avenue
Forty Hall Farm
Working farm next to a manorAnimals, veg beds and a community vineyard keep the estate productive—just as it was meant to be.
North of the house
Opening Hours
Fun Facts
Forty Hall was built for Sir Nicholas Rainton, a wealthy silk merchant who became Lord Mayor of London in 1632—the house is a billboard for a self-made man.
The estate sits above the course of the Turkey Brook; the lake you see today began life as a managed water feature for fish and reflection.
A short walk away is Elsyng Palace (archaeological site), a Tudor royal residence where Henry VIII stayed—so your Jacobean house has Tudor neighbours.
The farm includes a community-run vineyard: London wine from a 17th-century estate is very much a 21st-century twist.
