Charleston offers group visits and private tours Wednesday – Saturday outside public opening hours. Usually they take place in the morning, but we can accommodate evening tours by special arrangement. We recommend you allocate around 2 hours for your visit to ensure you see all Charleston has to offer.
Groups of up to 50 people can be accommodated. All group visits are led by our experienced guides and we offer a choice of tours to appeal to different interests.
While our space for talks is limited until the completion of our Centenary Project, our Head of Curatorial Services, Dr. Darren Clarke, is pleased to offer lectures at your group’s meeting place
in advance of your visit. These talks are about 50 minutes + questions and run on the following themes:
• Unseen Charleston – The story of the Bloomsbury group at Charleston and how it became the iconic house that it is today
• Bloomsbury and World War II – Life at Charleston in WW2 and the different activities that Bell and Grant were involved in
• Virginia Woolf and Charleston – An exploration of Charleston and one of literature’s greatest modernists
Charleston works regularly with artists to put on a range of creative workshops. See our events programme for upcoming workshops at Charleston for a sense of the kind of workshops we run. It may be possible to book something similar for your group or school; please get in touch if you are interested in finding out more.
Charleston offers this exclusive group visit in partnership with Farleys House and Gallery. A full day of exciting and personal insights into the lives, art and homes of the Bloomsbury group at Charleston and the Surrealists at Farleys. Between the two houses a magnificent picture of almost a century of British modern art is conjured up. Lunch at the nearby Cricketers’ Arms in Berwick completes the package.
For more information and to book – visit Farleys House and Gallery website
If you choose refreshments, we recommend arrival 30 minutes prior to your tour. If you do not choose refreshments, arrival should be 15 minutes prior to your tour time.
Although we can accommodate groups of up to 50 people (subject to availability), the house tours have a maximum of 10 people per guide. If more than one tour is required they will start at the same time but from different points in the house.
Please note: tour numbers must include all members of the group, including the tour leader. If you would like the coach driver to join the tour they must be included in the numbers provided to us prior to your visit and only if the numbers do not exceed 50 people. Once the tour is finished the group is free to explore the garden and shop at their own pace. For evening tours, your group is free to explore the garden before the tour.
Charleston’s shop stocks a delightful range of Bloomsbury-inspired books, cards, hand crafted ceramics, lamps, fabrics designed by Duncan Grant, and much more. We can organise for the Charleston shop to open early to allow your group to browse and buy following your tour.
We can provide your group with light refreshments before your morning tour if booked in advance.
Refreshments can only be offered to the whole group, rather than to only a number of the group. Our refreshment options include:
If your group is visiting for an evening tour the price includes a glass of wine and nibbles. Refreshments will usually be served in part of the Outer Studio Café. Owing to the nature of Charleston’s spaces, seating is limited. If the weather is fine your group is welcome to take refreshments into the Folly Garden where there is also some seating, however for large groups please bear in mind seating may not be available for everyone.
Our Café is not able to provide any further catering for group visits due to it’s current small size and so is not able to accommodate large groups after their house tour. However, whilst we cannot cater for group lunches, we are able to recommend local pubs that are happy to cater for groups visiting Charleston.
All groups must book their visits in advance.
Availability for groups is limited and so we advise you to get in touch early to avoid disappointment. We may be able to accept group bookings at shorter notice, but this cannot be guaranteed.
There is free parking for coaches on site in our main car park.
Tours |
Tour length |
Price per person |
Min. Cost |
| The Charleston Tour | 1 hour | £11.00 | £110.00 |
| Sisters Tour & Centenary Tour (up to 20 persons) | 80 minutes | £13.00 | £130.00 |
| A Day in the Life of Charleston (up 20 persons) | 70 minutes | £12.00 | £120.00 |
| Evening Tour | 1 hour tour, followed by wine and nibbles | £17.00 | £170.00 |
Catering
|
Price per person |
| Tea, Coffee and Biscuits (up to 50) | £3.00 |
| Tea, Coffee and Cake (up to 30) | £5.00 |
| Tea, Coffee and Pastries (up to 30) | £5.00 |
| Cream Tea (up to 30) | £5.00 |
Additional Options |
Time allowed |
Flat Rate Charge |
| Visiting Lecture by Curator Subject to availability, within 30 mile radius of Charleston; additional travel expenses will be required for visits further afield. |
50 minutes | £150.00 |
| Creative Workshops Subject to availability; please enquire. |
Bespoke | On request |
Please complete and submit online here, return to us by post or email (groups@charleston.org.uk) or call us to discuss a visit on 01323 811 626.
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