Charleston offers group visits and private visits of our House and Galleries at advantageous rates.
We are sorry to announce Charleston will remain closed for 2020 and no group visits will be possible until 2021.
The intimate experience of exploring the interiors at Charleston is something visitors normally cherish, but small, heavily furnished rooms make it impossible to create a socially distanced experience that would be safe and enjoyable for our staff, volunteers, and visitors. We have explored all options, including just opening our galleries, café and shop, but we simply cannot afford to reopen this year.
Charleston has survived this crisis thanks to thousands of donations from around the world to our Emergency Appeal grants from Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund and other major donations. The decision to remain closed until Spring 2021 has not been an easy one, but will enable us to build a stronger, more beautiful, more resilient, and more sustainable Charleston for the future.
As the coronavirus crisis continues to evolve, it is still too early for us to confirm the full details of our groups offer for 2021. We may need to make changes to our opening days, times and schedules, and so we regret we are not currently able to take reservations for 2021. Details of what we have offered in 2020 remain further down this page for your interest.
If you would like to express interest in visiting in 2021, please complete our online booking form. We will keep your details on file and be in touch later in the year about the experience we will be offering. We cannot wait to welcome visitors to our house again and will be delighted to arrange bookings once our programme is set in place towards the end of the year.
Groups of up to 50 people can be accommodated by booking in advance. All House visits are led by our experienced guides outside of public opening hours, while Exhibition visits can take place within our public opening hours. A range of combination visits are offered.
Jump straight to the booking form
Groups have a range of visit options to choose, with discounted rates for combined House & Gallery visits.
We can provide your group with light refreshments, which must be booked in advance for the whole group.
RefreshmentsAll catering must be booked in advance for the whole group |
Price per person |
| Tea, Coffee and Biscuits (up to 50) | £3.00 |
| Tea, Coffee and Cake or Pastries (up to 30) | £6.00 |
The Charleston Garden
The Garden provided the space and freedom for Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant to develop the lifestyle they enjoyed at Charleston. They carefully selected the plants to provide the colour and shape for their work. Today it is with reference to Bell and Grant’s paintings that our Head Gardener ensures the Garden remains as beautiful and as ‘painterly’ as it was in its heyday. Groups visiting the House or Galleries are free to explore the Garden at their own pace. Garden only visits are also available.
The Charleston Shops
A destination in its own right, the Charleston Shop stocks an extensive range of Bloomsbury-inspired books, cards, hand crafted ceramics, lamps, fabrics designed by Duncan Grant, and much more.
The Gallery Shop (within our Gallery spaces) holds a range of exhibition-specific items, including catalogues, notebooks, postcards and tote bags.
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 House tour. If you do not choose refreshments, arrival should be 15 minutes prior to your tour time.
There is free parking for coaches on site in our main car park.
We welcome visitors with access needs but for group visits it is very helpful for us to know in advance of any requirements so we can help ensure all visitors have the best possible experience. Access information can be found at the bottom of our visitor information page here.
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.
To book a group visit to Charleston please complete the enquiry form below.
Option |
Price per person |
Deposit required (minimum cost of visit) |
| The Charleston House Tour (60 minutes) | £11.50 | £115.00 |
| Extended Tours (up to 20 persons, 80 minutes) | £15.00 | £150.00 |
| Exhibitions Entry | £5.50 | £55.00 |
| House Tour & Exhibitions Entry | £15.50 | £155.00 |
| House Tour, Exhibitions Entry & Introductory Talk | £21.00 | £210.00 |
| Monday / Tuesday private opening fee | – | £100.00 |
| Curator’s Talk | – | £200.00 |
| Garden Entry (if not visiting House or Exhibitions) | £4.50 | £45.00 |
| Refreshments – Tea, Coffee & Biscuits | £3.00 | £30.00 |
| Refreshments – Tea, Coffee & Cake or Pastries | £6.00 | £60.00 |
Please complete and submit online here, return to us by post or email (groups@charleston.org.uk).
31 JanBuy all 5 of our online talks about the Bloomsbury group
31 JanImmerse yourself in all things Bloomsbury with our reader-in-residence Holly Dawson
19 JulWorkshopJoin artist Julian Le Bas for a day’s intensive painting, and lose yourself in the atmosphere of the walled garden.
31 JulMusic2021. Legendary folk singer Shirley Collins in a unique collaboration with Brian Catling and Matthew Shaw.
