
PRESIDENT: SIR ANDREW DAVIS CBE

Leith Hill Place
“If I had to decide what trees were to be cut, what vegetables planted, what cows sold, I should lose all pleasure in the place–and if I ran the place properly I shouldn’t have any time for my own work.”
Leith Hill Place was the childhood home of Ralph Vaughan Williams who gave it to the National Trust in 1944. His grandparents, Josiah Wedgwood III and Caroline (née Darwin) moved there in 1847 and his great uncle, the famous naturalist Charles Darwin, conducted experiments in the grounds.
In July of 2013 the house was opened to the public for the first time since the 1960s and welcomed over 8000 visitors. As a work in progress there is still a lot of work to be done but the house is starting to feel loved again and the National Trust is breathing life back into it.
Evening view from the terrace at Leith Hill Place. (photo Chris Kasa)
Tour lasts approx 40 mins and is by free timed ticket available from the front desk.
Climb to the second floor to join the Soundscape tour – a shared experience about the life and music of Vaughan Williams. Part audio guide, part art installation, the tour gives an insight into the story of the composer and his music, placing it firmly in the context of this house and revealing something of the character of the man. Don’t miss this unique experience.
Each year a number of special events and recitals take place. Recitals take place in the intimate setting of the Terrace Room at Leith Hill Place – the very drawing room where Vaughan Williams took his first musical steps. Enjoy beautiful music whilst looking out over the glorious views, with drinks outside during the interval, or in the Wedgwood Room.
For more details click here to visit the National Trust’s Leith Hill Place page.




Contact Information
To contact Officers of the Ralph Vaughan Williams Society please click on the links.
Publicity & Events Officer
(To publicise events, recordings, publications)
Journal Editor
(To send us articles)
Information Officer
(All matters relating to RVW)
Concert Resources Officer
(advice re: organising your concert)
Albion Records
(The RVW Society recording label)
© THE RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS SOCIETY | ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND COPYRIGHT | LEGAL | PRIVACY