Situated in the lovely town of Romsey, Hampshire, Broadlands House is probably most recognisable as being the home of Earl Mountbatten of Burma.
The house only opens for tours around July and August, so check the website for the exact dates for each year. Tours are for set times from 1pm Monday to Friday, so its best to book ahead to secure the time you want.
Toilet facilities for visitors are in the visitors car park, about a 5 min stroll from the house but disabled parking can be arranged by telephoning ahead. When there has been plenty of rain, don’t wear your best shoes.
Reception is in the stables, where you are taken to a rolling DVD presentation, which includes some Earl Mountbatten footage from the TV series. You are then collected by your guide at the allotted time for your tour, lasting about 1 hour.
The tours are very informative, covering many aspects of the house’s previous owners, the various re-modelling and renovations on the house and why there is mould all over the pillars outside the house. There are also some really interesting sculptures in the house.
We had chosen the Exempt Items Tour (available for an even smaller part of the year), which included artefacts not normally available for public view. Interesting and only £2 extra, but I wouldn’t have been that upset not to have done that part.
Photographs are not allowed inside the house and there are no refreshment facilities on-site. Additional information is available in the stables e.g. The Concise Mountbatten Family Tree.
There are uneven surfaces and steps to negotiate on the tour, so check ahead to see if this tour is suitable for your mobility needs.
Its a really interesting tour and the rest of Romsey is lovely, with plenty of places to eat, so a visit to Broadlands was a very interesting part of a day out in Romsey.
