A fine Grade I listed country house built in 1537 for Sir John Champneys, a wealthy merchant and former Lord Mayor of London. The house boasts a panelled Tudor Great Hall, overlooked by a minstrel’s gallery, and various period rooms. The 17th century additions and improvements by Sir Robert Austen include a vaulted Long Gallery and splendid Great Chamber with a fine plaster ceiling. Managed by Bexley Heritage Trust, this beautiful estate of 65 hectares stands on the banks of the River Cray at Bexley. Surrounding the house are award winning formal gardens with magnificent topiary, enclosed gardens and inspirational herbaceous borders. In the walled gardens there is a nursery selling plants grown in the Hall Place gardens, and a sub-tropical glasshouse where you can see ripening bananas in mid-winter. The house has been recently restored and was fully open to the public for the first time in 2009. New displays include an introduction to the house’s history, children’s gallery of Tudor life, and exhibits from Bexley’s extensive museum collection, as well as contemporary art exhibitions. The new visitor centre in the grounds offers a riverside tea room and a gift shop, as well as tourist information. There is an extensive programme of events, art-based activities, concerts and theatre in the house and gardens. Several rooms are available to hire for meetings and events, including the Great Hall and Great Chamber, which are also licensed for civil wedding ceremonies. Bexley Heritage Trust runs a popular education and outreach service and organized activities during the school holidays. Parts of the historic estate are occasionally used for filming and private hire. For this reason it is sometimes necessary to close certain areas of the house and gardens. We recommend that you call in advance of your visit before travelling a long distance or to see a particular feature.