Longleat House – Only 35 minutes by car from Whitley Coach House.
A trip through Longleat House will provide the perfect opportunity to step back into more than 450 years of history.
The house today is widely regarded as one of the best examples of high Elizabethan architecture in Britain and one of the most beautiful stately homes open to the public. Substantially completed by 1580 and now occupied by the 7th Marquess of Bath this incredible house has now been called home by 15 generations of the Thynne family.
Expect to be wowed from the very first moment you enter the Great Hall. Adorned by giant paintings depicting hunting scenes and with walls stretching 35 feet up you can see why this was the perfect place to host many a banquet.
Continue your journey through the house taking in libraries filled with over 40,000 books, a dining room laid out ready to host the next VIP guests and the Saloon stretching 90 feet long with its exquisite Flemish tapestries. Finish off by making your way down the Grand Staircase surrounded by an impressive collection of paintings.
Whether you’re joining a tour or want to take in the rich history of the house in your own time you’ll be sure to leave with an incredible insight into this wondrous stately home and the stories it has to tell.
Longleat SafariToday, Longleat is home to over 500 animals, and the estate occupies 9,000 acres (36.42 km2) of Wiltshire countryside.
Bongo Pass and new area: the new area is home to common land and eastern bongo.
Wallaby Walk: Wallaby Wood is home to Red-necked wallabies with African spurred tortoises and guineafowl, It is possible to get out of the car and view this section on foot.
Pygmy Goat Paddock: This paddock is a home to the African pygmy goats. It is possible to get out of the car and view this section on foot.
Warthog Ridge: Home to 3 warthogs. It is possible to get out of the car and view this section on foot.
Lemur Walk-through: the spacious Lemur Walk-through enclosure is home to 2 species of lemurs including Ring-tailed lemurs and Brown lemurs and features extensive rope swings and wooden walkways which provide the lemurs with the perfect opportunity to demonstrate their extraordinary agility and climbing skills.
African Village (60 acres or 24 hectares[5]): Rothschild giraffes, and Grant’s zebras.
Tapir Terrain: Near the African Village are the Brazilian tapirs. It is possible to get out of the car and view this section on foot.
Vulture Venue: five pairs of African White Backed vultures and grey-crowned cranes.
Monkey Jungle: Rhesus monkeys, Blue wildebeest and blackbucks.
Anne’s Haven: specially built for Anne the Asian elephant, accompanied by three Nubian goats. Anne suffered mistreatment before her arrival at Longleat and receives special care for her physical and psychological needs. The new elephant house has deep sand floors, heating, feeding areas and outdoor space with a large grassy paddock, rocks, log piles, a giant browse frame, sandpit, plunge pool and scratching post. As well as her own team of keepers dedicated to her wellbeing, Anne has the freedom of her own paddock. The new house has facilities and space for additional elephants and Longleat would consider accommodating other elephants that need a home.
Big Game Park: scimitar-horned oryx, Ankole cattle, southern white rhinos, ostriches, Bactrian camels and roan antelope.
Deer Park: red deer, fallow deer and Père David’s deer.