stoneywell

We had a great visit to Stoneywell. It is a beautiful Arts and Crafts house set in idyllic countryside and the gardens were beautiful even in the rain! The staff were very friendly and knowledgeable, particularly the room guides. The cafe was quite small but the food and drink was delicious. Really recommend a visit!

This really is a gem of a property. We had an invite to visit Stoneywell last year as we only live 3 miles away, but never got round to it, more's the pity.Booking on line couldn't be easier, there is a free mini bus which you have to take from the car park, a warm welcome from the 'greeter' who then escorted us on the short walk to the hidden property. The day we went there was no timed entrance, an informative introduction was given outside, before we were allowed to pass through the rooms at leisure. Room guides were able to provide as much, or as little info as we wanted about this quirky house.The grounds are well worth spending time in and a visit to the cafe is a must. Although on the small side, it makes use of all the space available- and has some really good coffee and very friendly staff. There are not many NT properties in Leicestershire but Stoneywell is a real gem with amazing views.

We have been waiting for a chance to visit this gem of an Arts & Crafts house built by Ernest Gimson for his brother and we managed to book this weekend. We were met at the car park by an enthusiastic mini bus driver for the short trip to the house and managed ten minutes walk around the interesting garden before our timed tour. A very knowledgeable guide explained the house, the inhabitants and much more of interest than we were expecting. The furnishings all fit the house and everything is absolutely charming. We will return when the sun shines to finish our tour of the gardens.

Everything we experienced as visitors of three generations completely distracted us from the cold wet day outside and we realised how lucky we were to have made the decision to visit Stoneywell. Expecting that we would be in and out in not much than an hour turned into over three hours of interest to all of us and we only scratched the surface. The enthusiasm of all staff and volunteers concerned with the bus trip from the car park, greeting us at the house, tea room but most of all the guided tour of the house should be applauded. The rain prevented us making the most of the gardens and woods but we will definitely be returning again to enjoy what looks a to be a real gem for Leicestershire

Got the compulsory bus from the car park to the house, great timed tour of the house in a small group, the grounds are well worth a walk around, especially the 'fort'. The tea room is not well signed but is definitely worth a visit, wood burning stove going today certainly took the edge off the chill! All seems a lot less pretentious than your usual NT offering

Superb Arts and Crafts 'Hobbit' home in lovely woodland setting. Grounds are full of promise as spears of daffodils are appearing everywhere. Guides very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. So great to have such a wonderful NT property in Leics!

Arts and crafts are plentiful in this gem in Leicestershire. The small cafe has some really nice food. All prepared fresh for you as you wait. This national trust property is by time ticket only, you must book.

Great addition to the NT portfolio.Parking is away from the house with a very frequent shuttle bus or a five minute stroll.Really quirky Arts and Crafts home with mostly original features.Booking is essential.Highly recommended, we are revisiting to see more of the extensive gardens when it is warmer.

At last a NT property in Leicestetshire! This arts and crafts house is a real gem in the NT collection.After booking a place on the guided by internet you must park in a car park about 2 minutes away from the house and then be transported by mini bus to the property.I believe this is something to do with the neighbours not being very happy!The house is as it was with the original furniture from the 50's and you can touch everything!From reception its a walk to the house, with no apparent pathways passing the fort. Theres a very small cafe and a small shop, the gardens should be amazing in the spring and summer.Our guide was fantastic , it was as if she lived there, thanks to Mog Singer.Well worth a visit

A wonderful addition to the National Trust's portfolio. A delightful cottage with entirely appropriate and many original furnishings - which you can touch in most cases. Not to be recommended for those with mobility problems as tricky and very narrow winding staircases as it was built going up a hillside of a rocky valley. The story of the family who owned and loved the cottage is interesting. Donald Gimson who was the last owner has been very involved in presenting his family home and its narrative - and it shows. It was very cold with snow and ice, so we didn't visit the gardens - a treat for our next visit. A true delight. There is a small tea room at the stables in the old laundry which, as always, serves lovely refreshments - sadly the tea room was rather cold and draughty in this weather but will be fine in the summer. Volunteers knowledgeable and welcoming.

A fabulous treasure hidden away in the Charnwood forest. A must see visit for anyone visiting the area. Wonderful stories unfold as you are guided through the house and gardens brining the past alive. Reminders of life as it was not so long ago. Wonderful

This Arts and Crafts house is a gem. Small but with beautiful grounds - not explored fully as it was a damp October day when we visited. The inside has been restored to the 1950's. It's very quirky. However, as it's on different levels, I wouldn't recommend it for anyone with mobility issues. The path down to the house was slippy in the wet (we were warned to take care); inside there are steep stairs, some with only rope handles. You can touch things, although I wonder how long they will last if everyone does this. My husband enjoyed playing with the train set! There is a small café - we visited in the afternoon when they were serving cakes and toasted teacakes. Our house guide was learning the ropes, more difficult for her as she had just moved to the area, but I am sure that by the time the house opens again in the spring she will be up to speed. You have to book your visit to the house and a car parking space. Don't just turn up and expect to go round the house, this applies to cyclists and walkers too as there is a strict limit of visitors each day. The car park is well signposted from the M1. You are taken to the house by minibus - our drive was a mine of knowledge about the property and area. Looking forward to visiting again in better weather to see the garden and walk in the woods.

We were one of the last pre opening visits and what a joy. It was a lovely crisp late November weekend and we were driven from the car park to the cottage by a friendly and knowledgeable NT volunteer. Met by another volunteer we were guided through the grounds and as we came over the sloped hill and turned the corner there was the prettiest cottage nestling in the hillside. We were shown around this quirky house with delightful stories about the family, the furniture, books and pictures. Clearly a family that had cherished the same items of beautiful hand made furniture from the fifties till the present day. It was a humbling thought because as we were looking around this property, it was Black Friday week-end and people were fighting over the latest TVs, furniture and the latest gadgets on sale in the stores. We are looking forward to going again in the Spring when we`ve been promised the sight of banks of golden daffodils.

This is the NTs first property in Leicestershire and has been open until the end of November for members only so that the teething problems can be ironed out.From 2015 the house and grounds will be open 7 days a week for 10 months of the year.There is a very odd arrangement - NOT the fault of NT that all visitors, even walkers and cyclists, must be transported to the property by minibus from the car park, even if they have walked or cycled past the gate! I hope this is reconsidered in years to come.All visits must be pre-booked, even if it's on the same day.We went on the last opening day of 2014 - a very bright, dry day. This is a quirky house laid out internally as it would have been in 1953. The very knowledgable house guides make the rooms come alive, and point out features of the house and furniture that the casual visitor would easily miss.The garden are beautiful and promise to be spectacular in Spring and early autumn. The tea room is small, but very friendly - as other reviewers have pointed out (and the staff are aware) the seating is uncomfortable, and may be dangerous. I'm sure this will be addressed.Go!

You have to book a time of arrival and park up the road in the car park and get picked up in a minibus. This means why you arrive at the place it is peaceful, catering for relatively modest numbers of people at any one time, which is nice.The architecture of the house is really interesting, and the guided tour very relaxed. Our guide had lots of anecdotes about the family who owned it, how they used the house and, of course, about the house, furniture and fittings.The gardens were not at their best on a foggy November day, but we're definitely going back in the spring when we were told the daffodils and other plants are fab. There are quite extensive areas to walk I believe through the woods, but it wasn't the day for that really.The cafe is modest and there is no big shop.The house would be pretty impossible to get around for people with significant mobility issues, there are odd stairs all over the place, and ropes rather than handrails.