Michael Garlick, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Sulgrave
A quiet Northamptonshire village, home to Sulgrave Manor, the house built by George Washington's ancestors. The manor, the Washington pew in the church and a Norman ringwork make a good half day between March and September.
- Nearest station
- Banbury, about 7 miles in a straight line, then a taxi: we could not confirm a useful bus
- Parking
- Sulgrave Manor has a free car park about 150m from its reception, along a gravel path, when it is open. Otherwise park on the street with care
- Best time
- A Sunday, Monday or Tuesday between March and September, when the manor is open
- Toilets
- Sulgrave Manor has accessible toilets and baby change for its visitors when it is open. We found no public toilets in the village
About Sulgrave
Sulgrave is a stone village of 424 people (2021 census) in West Northamptonshire, about 7 miles north-east of Banbury in a straight line and 5 miles north of Brackley. People come for one reason: Sulgrave Manor, the house built by Lawrence Washington, the direct ancestor of America's first president. With the house shut, there is little else to bring you this far.
Sulgrave Manor and when it opens
Sulgrave Manor closes for the winter and is due to reopen in March 2027, on a day it has not yet given. Its season runs from March to September, on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays, from 10.30am to 4pm, with last entry at 3pm. Check its own site (opens in a new tab) for the 2027 dates.
Entry to the house is at 11am, midday, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm, each with a short introductory talk. When we checked in November 2026, tickets cost £10 for adults, £5 for ages 5 to 15 and £25 for a family, with under 5s and carers free, and you can simply turn up. The Trust's 2026 exhibition, George Washington: Relics and Representations, was part of the America250UK programme for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. A Candlelight Christmas tour for adults runs on Saturday 5 December 2026, 5pm to 7pm, at £20, and must be booked in advance.
What else to see in Sulgrave
Two things are worth a look outside the manor, both a short walk away at the south-west end of the village: St James the Less, with its Washington pew and tomb, and Castle Hill, a Saxon and Norman earthwork beside it. The church is the one to prioritise, because the earthwork has no public access that we could confirm.
St James the Less keeps a pew of oak with Elizabethan moulding, used by the manor's owners. It was thrown out in the restoration of 1885, rescued, and returned in 1924 by Sir Charles Wakefield. In front of it, under a Hornton stone slab, lie Lawrence Washington, his wife Amee Pargiter and their eldest son Robert. Their brasses were vandalised in 1889, and the children's were restored in 1924. The west doorway in the tower, no longer the way in, is probably Saxon and was reset from an earlier building, the listing says. The village's history pages (opens in a new tab) suggest the tenth century. The south door is through the lych gate on Church Street. We found no opening hours, so treat a closed door as possible. If you like the stone, see Hornton stone and the ironstone villages.
Castle Hill is a scheduled monument: a roughly circular bank 3m to 4m high above a ditch. Digs between 1960 and 1976 found Saxon timber buildings from the end of the tenth century beneath a Norman stone hall, and the site was probably abandoned by about 1140. We found no statement of public access, so treat it as private unless a sign says otherwise.
A half day in Sulgrave
Arrive for the 11am house entry on a day in season, then walk to the church to see the pew and the tomb. With a free afternoon, drive on to Canons Ashby, another house in the same quiet corner of the county. Our guide to castles and houses near Banbury sets out the other days that combine them.
Walks from Sulgrave
We found no walk published by the parish, a council or the National Trust starting here, so we are not describing one. Public footpaths do leave the village, so take an OS map and plan your own, or ask at the manor when it is open. The official walks closest to this page are the six parish routes at Kings Sutton.
Food and drink in Sulgrave
We do not name a pub in the village at present, because we could not show one trading in 2026. The manor has no full tearoom, but on open days its shop sells tea, coffee, cake, cold drinks and ice cream, to have in the Brewhouse or the courtyard. For a meal, eat before you come, or try the Griffin Inn at Chipping Warden, a nearby pub we also cover.
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When to come to Sulgrave
Come between March and September. Outside those months the manor is shut, except for special events, and a winter visit means a church and an earthwork, which is not worth a special trip. The manor warns that events can change its open days, so check what's on (opens in a new tab). Silverstone is about 8 miles away in a straight line: see where to stay for Silverstone and the Silverstone Museum.
Last verified 11 November 2026 by our editors
Things to do in Sulgrave
Historic houses and heritage · Sulgrave
Sulgrave Manor
The Tudor manor house built by George Washington's English ancestors, in Sulgrave north east of Banbury, and a museum of the Anglo-American link since 1921. Open Sundays to Tuesdays in season, walk-ins welcome. Closed for the winter until March 2027.
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Canons Ashby
Historic houses and heritage
The Dryden family's Elizabethan manor house in south Northamptonshire, with painted rooms, Jacobean plasterwork and terraced gardens, beside the surviving church of a medieval priory. National Trust, north east of Banbury.
Dog-friendly
Verified Nov 2026
Where to eat and drink in Sulgrave
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Greenhouse Cafe, Wardington
Cafes and tearooms
The café at Barn Farm Plants garden centre, Upper Wardington, near Banbury, serving homebaked cakes and freshly made food with indoor and outdoor seating, on the Jurassic Way and beside an antiques centre.
Family-friendly · Walker-friendly
Verified Nov 2026
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The George and Dragon, Chacombe
Pubs
A family-run village pub at Chacombe, north-east of Banbury and close to Middleton Cheney, with a private lounge for up to 40 and live music. It serves lunch and supper from Wednesday, closes on Mondays, and on Tuesdays is drinks only.
Verified Nov 2026
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The Griffin Inn, Chipping Warden
Pubs
A Marston's village local at Chipping Warden, north-east of Banbury, with cask ales, a beer garden, a car park with accessible spaces, electric car charging and live sport.
Dog-friendly · EV charging
Verified Nov 2026
Sights in and around Sulgrave
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St James the Less, Sulgrave
Sight · Church · Sulgrave
Sulgrave's Grade II* church, where George Washington's ancestor Lawrence Washington is buried before the family pew under its painted Washington arms. A west doorway perhaps Saxon, and a Tudor porch. No regular opening times.
Stories about Sulgrave
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Banbury with children: days out for families
Story · Guides · 9 minute read
Banbury with children: the aviary and play areas in the two parks, the free museum, swimming at Spiceball, boat trips at Tooley's, then Silverstone Museum, Compton Verney, Burton Dassett and Sulgrave by car, with ages, prices and what to skip.
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Castles and historic houses near Banbury: which to pick
Story · Guides · 12 minute read
Broughton Castle, Upton House, Sulgrave Manor, Canons Ashby, Farnborough Hall, Compton Verney, Chastleton, Stowe and Charlecote Park: which suits whom, which days combine them, what opens in winter, and which to skip.
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Sulgrave Manor and the Washingtons: George Washington's ancestral home
Story · History · 8 minute read
Sulgrave Manor is George Washington's ancestral home, built by his ancestor Lawrence Washington. But George never lived there, and the claim about its arms and the American flag is a legend. How it was built, lost, bought back for peace in 1914 and run today.
Getting to Sulgrave
- By train
- No station. Banbury is the nearest, about 7 miles away in a straight line, with Chiltern trains from London Marylebone. Take a taxi from there and book the return.
- By bus
- We could not confirm a current bus to Sulgrave. Check Traveline, and do not plan a day around one until you have seen a timetable.
- By car
- Sulgrave Manor is on Manor Road, Sulgrave, OX17 2SD, about 5 miles north of Brackley. The lanes are narrow, so take them slowly.
- Access
- St James's south door is reached through the lych gate on Church Street. We have not confirmed surfaces. At Sulgrave Manor the house is on two floors, with step-free access in the Great Hall and the kitchen, and the grounds and garden have gravel paths: ring 01295 760205 before you visit.
Places near Sulgrave
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BanburyNorth Oxfordshire's working market town, on the River Cherwell and the Oxford Canal, about an hour from Marylebone. Come for the Cross, the Thursday and Saturday market, the old inns of Parsons Street, the free museum and Tooley's Boatyard.
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CropredyA canal village on the Cherwell, about 4 miles north of Banbury, known for Fairport's Cropredy Convention each August and the 1644 battle at its bridge. Outside festival weekend it is quiet, with a fine church and the Brasenose Arms.
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Kings SuttonA large stone village in the Cherwell valley with its own railway station, one stop from Banbury, and one of the finest spires in Northamptonshire. Come by train, walk 10 minutes to The Square, and pick one of six parish walks.
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AynhoAn estate village of stone houses with apricot trees on their walls, a mile above the Oxford Canal and the old wharf. No pub in the village itself just now, so plan to eat in Deddington or Kings Sutton.