The Merchant's House
The Merchant's House
4.5
Speciality & Gift ShopsArchitectural BuildingsHistory Museums
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
The House is open for tours and visits on Wednesday to Saturday. As these are led by volunteers, please check the website or contact us BEFORE you travel. The Shop is open Monday - Saturday, 10 am - 5 pm. Built during the Commonwealth period, 1653 - 1656, The Merchant's House is a rare example of a middle class silk merchant's house, containing nationally acclaimed wall paintings and decorative features. The house, and its wonderful rooms, are available to tour. Visit the main panelled chamber with a limestone carved fireplace and oak overmantle and the dining room, built around 1670. There are also bedrooms, a suite of servants rooms, a study and kitchen; some of which are furnished according to a probate inventory of 1691. An outstanding destination for anyone interested in historic buildings and the craftsmanship needed to create and restore them. We also have a garden, which has been carefully recreated in the spirit of a 17th-century town house garden.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles133 reviews
Excellent
100
Very good
25
Average
5
Poor
2
Terrible
1

KEL1
Lyndhurst, UK36 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Couples
What a fabulous building and history to match, brought to life by our truly wonderful guide Ilse who you could tell obviously loved this building and the history behind it. The two hours flew by on the tour. Well worth a visit.
Written 10 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you! We have let Ilse know you enjoyed your visit!
Written 30 October 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

curious46989825915
Epsom, UK21 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023
Interesting and quirky. Defiantly worth a visit but the stairs may be difficult for some.The volunteer guide was very informative provided a wealth of information. The tour times are listed on the website but do go into the shop and announce your arrival as we were not aware that the shop had anything to do with the house and waited with another couple outside by the sign board.
Well done to the people who keep this valuable piece of history for future generations to see.Do be aware of the grumpy lady in the shop though who may be there when you go
Written 7 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

travel2472018
London, UK51 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022 • Couples
This is a great place to visit. For £5 you get a nice glimpse into local history. There’s still work being done there and it’s fully open to tours which is about £10. But a couple of rooms are only open for that tour at the moment so it’s worth doing that and booking! The staff are great and will tell you as much as they can and enjoy doing it. There are lovely volunteers there that have been sowing seat covers etc for years. And I mean years, to original designs and colours. Yes those days were brighter than you think. They are there to talk to on Wednesdays and are also very informative to talk to.
All in all I enjoyed i there and a ticket lasts a year.
Written 10 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Carolyn A
Hungerford, UK11 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2022
Full of historical & interesting facts & artefacts. The guides are very informative. So much to learn, see and enjoy
Written 29 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

kenbaines
Wrotham, UK572 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2021
Do check the opening times as we went expecting to visit only to find the House shut, though the shop in front was open.
Written 15 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jennifer F
Marlborough, UK5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2021
It is so interest to visit and learn a bit of history. Guide is friendly and helpful. Shop a bit expensive but it is good quality stuff.
Written 17 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mr_Hatcher51
Saltash, UK3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020
Fascinating tour of The Merchants House. We had a very knowlegable guide and appreciated the explanations and descriptions of each room and it's contents. We also bumped in to the Trust Manager who gave us a additional run down of the House history and it's interesting evolution through the ages.
We highly reccomend this attraction and would visit again.
Thank you very much to all staff and Manager at The Merchants House!
Written 8 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for your glowing review. So glad you enjoyed. Please do tell all your friends to come and see us when we reopen in March! I know its a bit early but happy Christmas (!!) and stay safe Katie Fairfax-Ross Trust Manager
Written 26 October 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

mariv6261
Aylesbury, UK44 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2020
Very interesting - Gordon who did our guided tour was very knowledgeable and gave us a fascinating insight into the history of this house and a additional local knowledge on how it fitted into local history - well worth the trip.
Written 29 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for your review. I'm so glad you enjoyed your visit and will pass on to Gordon. Take care and stay well. Kind regards - Katie Fairfax-Ross - Trust Manager
Written 26 October 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Andrewsmyname
Oxfordshire, UK7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020
First, a word of warning ... looking online showed the Merchants House to be open the day we went, but that only applied to its shop. The house itself turned out not to be open for visits until "mid-March".
That said, the lady in the shop saw our disappointment ( we had come 50 miles to see it) and arranged for the trust manager to show us round. We were so lucky she happened to be there!
The house was fascinating and our guided tour gave us a real insight into the construction of the house, the wonderful wall-paintings and the interesting artifacts from the period.
Written 4 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello. Thank you so much for the review - much appreciated. We have been battling with google to get it changed and no winning! We will keep trying. Do tell all your friends to come see us (and me!) and take care in this odd times. Kindest regards Katie Fairfax-Ross Trust Manager
Written 26 October 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

murrayld
Esher, UK206 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Family
Had a great tour with the family - grandparents and 2 small kids (4&7).
The guide was really very good in keeping the kids focused and also showing their enthusiasm for the house.
Very educational showing the kids what life would have been like. It was good that nothing was off limits and the kids were allowed to touch items and search around the rooms.
Very enjoyable.
Written 24 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for your review. So glad the kids enjoyed .... you did have one of the best guides for the children as she is in charge of our educational outreach arm. Do tell all your friends and so glad you enjoyed. Kindest regards Katie Trust Manager.
Written 25 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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THE MERCHANT'S HOUSE: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Frequently Asked Questions about The Merchant's House

The Merchant's House is open:
  • Mon - Sat 10:00 - 17:00