Tony Hisgett, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Things to do
Compton Verney
An art gallery in a Robert Adam house in a Capability Brown park, about 25 minutes north west of Banbury, with six permanent collections and changing shows. Open Wednesday to Sunday, all winter too. Adults from £22.50 in 2026, and 18 and under free.
Family-friendly · Dog-friendly · Rainy days
Come for the art and the park: it is run as a gallery, not shown as a family home. It is the best choice near Banbury for teenagers, since entry is free to 18, and for anyone who needs step-free access. Allow most of a day, and book ahead to save £2.
- Good: 18 and under free; 19 to 25 pay £10
- Good: A lift to every gallery floor
- Good: Open through the winter, when most houses near Banbury are shut
- Worth knowing: Closed Mondays and Tuesdays, apart from bank holiday Mondays
- Worth knowing: About 426m on foot from the Welcome Centre to the house
- Worth knowing: Gift Fair weekend (4 to 6 December 2026) needs pre-booking, even for ordinary admission
About
Compton Verney is a country house turned art gallery in Warwickshire, about 13 miles (21km) by road and 25 minutes north west of Banbury. The Peter Moores Foundation bought it in 1993, when the house was close to ruin, and a £45 million restoration opened it as a gallery in 2004. An independent charity runs it now. Go for the paintings and the park, because it is run as a gallery and not shown as a family home.
The art
Six permanent collections come with the ticket, and the gallery's own claims for them are large: Neapolitan art of 1600 to 1800, which it calls the best in Europe outside the Capodimonte, Chinese ritual bronzes, the largest collection of British folk art in the UK, Northern European painting and sculpture of 1450 to 1650, portraits and miniatures, and the Marx-Lambert collection of Enid Marx and Margaret Lambert. Changing shows sit alongside. In November 2026 they include The Pattern of Life, on Enid Marx, to 3 January 2027, and Raqib Shaw's night sonnets to 21 February 2027. Carla Accardi follows from 23 January to 13 June 2027, and Eve Arnold from 13 March to 5 September 2027, which is not yet marked as included in admission. Collections and exhibition tours run on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
The house and the park
The Verneys came here in 1435 and the name stuck by 1500. Historic England lists the house Grade I: a core of about 1714, attributed to Vanbrugh, then an east front and interiors of 1761 to 1765 by Robert Adam, for John Peyto Verney, 14th Baron Willoughby de Broke. Lancelot 'Capability' Brown laid out the park, registered Grade II*, and in 1772 built the chapel on a new site after clearing the old church by the lake. The chapel is Grade I, with Verney monuments inside, and the way up to it is steep. The family sold up in 1921.
Visiting
Book ahead: an adult with the donation pays £22.50 prebooked or £24.50 on the day, as read in November 2026, and anyone 18 or under goes free. It opens from Wednesday to Sunday through the winter, and on the Gift Fair weekend, 4 to 6 December 2026, every visitor has to prebook, members included. Charlecote Park is the natural pairing, about 11 minutes away: see Charlecote's page. Upton House is about 15 minutes in the other direction.
Opening hours and season
Wed to Sun and bank holiday Mondays. November 2026: grounds 10am to 4.30pm, galleries 10.30am to 4.30pm. Christmas dates not yet found: check before you travel.
Facilities
- Car parkFree, with 12 Blue Badge spaces right by the Welcome Centre
- CaféSeasonal meals from local suppliers, and children's lunch boxes
- Playground and forest school
- TramperSelf-drive mobility vehicle, 11am to 4pm, £5 donation asked; ring to hire
- ToiletsAccessible on every gallery floor and at the Welcome Centre; baby changing
- Dogs on leadsTwo per person; not in the house, lake, playground, forest school or Ice House Coppice
The details
- Time to allow
- Most of a day: two or three hours inside, then the park
- Features
- Garden or terrace · Café · Parking · Play area · Guided tours · Events and meetings
- History
- House about 1714; Adam work 1761 to 1765; gallery opened 2004
- Parking
- Free car park on site, with 12 Blue Badge spaces right by the Welcome Centre. The house is about 426m on foot from there.
Photos
The house at Compton Verney, now the gallery Photo: Tony Hisgett, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons 
The south-east front of Compton Verney Photo: DeFacto, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons 
The lake at Compton Verney, in the park by Capability Brown Photo: Robin Stott, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons 
The stone bridge at Compton Verney Photo: Marika Reinholds, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Location
Accessibility
- Step-free access
- Accessible toilet
- Assistance dogs welcome
Wheelchair-friendly paths to the house, 1.7m at their narrowest, and a lift to each gallery floor. Tarmac or compacted gravel with slight inclines; the way to the chapel is steep, and staff can help. Essential companions go free with a Nimbus card.