Address: Hestercombe House Cheddon Fitzpaine Tel: 01823 413923 Email: Form on website. Web site: www.hestercombegardens.com
Owner/Management: Owned by Somerset County Council and Crown Estate, managed by Hestercombe Gardens Trust
Contact person: Director: Philip White
Opening times: The gardens are open everyday of the year 10am till 6pm (last admission, 5pm).
Admission price: Adults £6.95, Senior Citizens £6.45 Two children are allowed in free of charge with a paying adult or senior citizen. Entrance includes free guide map.
Events, exhibitions: Numerous, see www.hestercombegardens.com/events.htm to order online or call 01823 413 923 to speak to the box office. Also, listed below.
Customer services:
Shop: Yes.
Tea Room/ Restaurant: Tea Room open 10am 5pm all year round, however call ahead to check for differing winter opening hours. The tearoom also caters for vegetarians.
WC: Facilities by ticket office complete with full disabled facilities.
Parking: Free coach and car park and bicycle racks. Three disabled car bays.
Seats and benches: Plentiful seating areas around park. Large picnic area by ticket office and large seating areas both in and around the new Café.
Average visitor duration: 1 and a half to 2 hours.
Accessibility - in the park/ garden from the car park: Access is limited due to the hilly nature of the gardens, including very steep slopes. Disabled access is good where possible to provide and attempts to make a disabled route around the landscape garden. However mixed surfaces around the garden may make progress at times awkward. Dogs allowed on a short lead.
Children’s programme/ events or other educational activities:: No children’s area. Seasonal events such as Halloween make best of the garden’s features. Children’s quiz leaflet available free of charge.
Maps of sites/ visitor information etc: Entrance include free guide map. Tours can be pre-booked at a cost of £7.70 per person.
Transport:
Car: Follow the brown tourism signs from Taunton Town Centre.
Public transport: Visitors can catch the 624 bus on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday all year to the garden carpark. This service is run by Firstgroup, www.firstgroup.com.
Bike or Walk: Hestercoombe is approximately 4 miles from Taunton Town centre so it is within walking and cycling distance, but there is no dedicated walkway or cycle route and a large portion of the route is along tight country lanes.
