Oxburgh Hall, National Trust

By Linda Garrould

We visited Oxburgh Hall in May 2024 — an easy drive from Norwich out to the edge of the Norfolk Brecks, and one of the quieter National Trust properties in the county if you time it right. This is our honest family-visit review: what we loved, what caught us out, and the practical bits we wish we’d known before we set off.

What makes Oxburgh Hall special

Oxburgh is one of the very few moated manor houses in England still complete and lived in. The Bedingfeld family have been here since 1482 — an unbroken 544 years by the time you’re reading this — and walking through the hall feels less like a National Trust museum and more like a private house that happens to let visitors in.

The single most memorable feature for our children was the priest hole, a cramped hiding space built into the brickwork so that Catholic priests could hide from Tudor pursuivants. You climb down a tight stone shaft into a dark chamber the size of a wardrobe, and the family will cheerfully tell you they have no idea how anyone survived in there for more than a few hours. Upstairs, a set of embroideries stitched by Mary, Queen of Scots herself hang in one of the bedrooms — the kind of exhibit that makes older children stop and actually look.

The gardens are more modest than Blickling’s but reward a wander: a French parterre, a kitchen garden still in active use, and an orchard that in February turns into one of the best snowdrop carpets in Norfolk.

A small safety note, especially if you’re visiting with small children: there’s no fence or rail around much of the moat wall, and the drop is sudden. Our children were utterly charmed by the bridge and the water, and we simply kept close.

We made the mistake on our first visit of arriving just before 10am — the hall doesn’t open until 10:30. Never mind, being first in the queue meant we got photographs of the moat and front without a single other visitor in frame. If you want the classic moat shot, arrive early.

Oxburgh across the seasons

We’ve been back to Oxburgh more than once, and the seasonal character of the estate is one of the quiet reasons we keep coming. Each visit feels like a slightly different place.

In winter, particularly in late January and February, the orchard is famous locally for its snowdrops — a white carpet under the bare fruit trees that pulls in regulars from across the county. The hall has reduced winter opening, so check the National Trust website before you set out, but the gardens and parkland are typically open throughout. Wrap up warm and bring proper boots; the ground is often soft.

By spring the character shifts completely. Bluebells appear in the woodland, the kitchen garden wakes up with the first planting-out, and the tulips come through in the formal parterre. May (when we last visited) is particularly good — warm enough for lunch on the benches by the moat, with the gardens hitting their early flush.

Summer is the season the family trails inside the hall really earn their keep — the children’s activity sheets give younger visitors a reason to pay attention room by room, and the gardens are at full colour. This is also the most obvious time to combine Oxburgh with a North Norfolk coast leg of the same day out, if you’re prepared to drive.

In autumn, the woodland turns russet and the crowds thin out markedly — it’s one of the best months for a quiet walk around the parkland if you’ve had enough of summer-holiday queues elsewhere.

Visitor essentials at a glance

As of April 2026 — always check the official National Trust page for the property before travelling.

• Postcode: PE33 9PS
• Nearest towns: Swaffham (4 miles), Downham Market (8 miles)
• From Norwich: About an hour’s drive west on the A47
• Opening hours: Hall 10:30–15:00 (last entry 14:15); Garden and Parkland 09:30–17:00; Servants’ Hall tea room 10:00–16:30; Shop 10:00–16:00; Car park 09:30–17:00
• Admission (non-member): Adult £14.00 / Child (5–17) £7.00 / Family (2 adults + up to 3 children) £35.00 / Under-5s free. Gift Aid prices slightly higher.
• National Trust members: Free entry
• Parking: Free for everyone — members and non-members
• Dogs: Welcome on leads in the formal gardens and parkland; only assistance dogs inside the hall
• Café: Servants’ Hall tea room — light lunches, hot food, cakes, children’s options
• Toilets: Yes, with baby-changing facilities
• Suggested visit length: Half a day (longer if you add a parkland walk)
• Best for families: Summer for gardens and trails; February for the snowdrop display

Who we’d recommend Oxburgh Hall for

Families with primary-school-age children upwards who enjoy a bit of history they can actually climb into — the priest hole is an experience, not an exhibit. National Trust members looking to “use” their membership at a less-crowded property than Blickling. Snowdrop-spotters in February. Anyone wanting a quieter Norfolk house-and-garden day out that can be combined with lunch in Swaffham or an afternoon on the coast.

Less of a fit if your children are very young and mainly need space to run — Blickling or the wider parkland at Felbrigg will probably suit you better.

Where to find Oxburgh Hall

Oxburgh Hall is within an hour’s drive on most days from Norwich, Kings Lynn and Hunstanton — easy to combine with a lunch stop in Swaffham or an afternoon on the north Norfolk coast.

Related reading

• Is National Trust membership worth the money? — our pillar guide.
• Blickling Hall — our family review
• Felbrigg Hall — our family review
• Morston Quay — North Norfolk coast visitor guide

Is National Trust membership worth it for a family holiday?

We get asked this a lot, so here’s the honest maths for a family of four on a week’s holiday, using current (April 2026) gate prices.

Picture 2 adults and 2 under-16s doing a Norfolk break and stopping at Stonehenge on the drive home. Gate prices work out as: Oxburgh Hall £35 family ticket, parking free = £35; Blickling Hall £45 + £5 parking = £50; Felbrigg Hall £45 + £5 = £50; Stonehenge £88.80 for the family, parking included = £88.80. That’s £223.80 for four visits paid at the gate.

An annual National Trust family membership — 2 adults and all children under 18 — is £176.40 by annual Direct Debit, and it covers every one of those visits (yes, including Stonehenge — the stones themselves are managed by English Heritage, but NT England members book a free ‘affiliate member’ ticket on the EH site and walk in free that way, thanks to the long-standing NT/EH reciprocal arrangement). Sign up online by Direct Debit and you also get a free Guest Pass to share with a friend or grandparent.

On this one holiday alone you’re about £47 better off as a member — and every NT property you visit for the rest of the year is pure savings, with free parking at over 300 of them.

One more budget point worth knowing. National Trust family membership can be paid by monthly Direct Debit rather than in one lump sum — £14.70 a month for a two-adult family, or £9.10 a month for a one-adult family — spread across twelve instalments. That can be a lot easier to plan around than a clutch of peak-season family tickets arriving all at once during the school holidays.

Join the National Trust →  |  Read our full NT membership guide

Eating at Oxburgh Estate

Visiting more than three or four NT places a year? National Trust membership covers entry and parking — and there’s a Free Guest Pass on annual Direct Debits at the moment.