In 1983 the 10th Earl of Bessborough made the decision to give Stansted Park, the Arboretum, his family home and its beautiful contents to the public. Stansted Park Foundation was set up as a charitable trust charged with the preservation of the estate for the benefit of the nation.
The ground floor is adorned with the Ponsonby family portraits and possessions as well as furniture, fixtures and fittings. Downstairs is home to one of Britain’s best examples of ‘life below stairs’ with room upon room laid out as it would have been in the house’s heyday.
In addition to the mansion, Stansted Park also has a private chapel which has a unique colourful history of its own. This elegant Regency chapel stands on the site of the first great house and re-uses some of its fifteenth century masonry and locks. The chapel’s unique east window illustrates the wish of its founder, Lewis Way, to re-unite the Jewish and Christian faiths.
Today visitors to the Park can enjoy seasonal tours of this splendid mansion as well as being able to use the grounds and forest free of charge throughout the year. This public space includes the walled gardens with its tearoom, farm shop, garden centre, maze and miniature railway.
The house hosts stunning weddings, prestigious business meetings and seminars and is home to some of the best events in the south.
For more information or to get in touch please visit www.stanstedpark.co.uk.
