Free Attractions

• King Arthur's Mirror Maze
• Life and Times of Henry, Lord Bath Exhibition
• Family Bygones Exhibition
• Scale Model of Longleat House
• State Chariot
• Meet My Ancestors

King Arthur's Mirror Maze
Designed by one of the world’s most prolific maze designers, Adrian Fisher, King Arthur’s Mirror Maze invites visitors to become Knights of the Round Table in a quest to discover the Holy Grail.

During your quest you will encounter a variety of mysterious apparitions including Excalibur, the legendary sword in the stone, the half-hidden face of the mythical Green Man, and a ruined chapel where the Grail will appear to those who know where and how to see it!

Life and Times of Henry, Lord Bath Exhibition
Illustrating a most turbulent period in twentieth century political, social and economic history and mapping the fate of the country house in an era of profound change, the exhibition contains many hundreds of objects, pictures and photographs from the collections made by the 6th Marquess of Bath (1905-1992) relating to Edward VIII and the Abdication, Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill and the Second World War, and more recently the first woman Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher.

Family Bygones Exhibition
A collection of everyday objects both for use and amusement c.1850-1930 belonging to Longleat House and Estate, ranging from leather shoes for ponies mowing the lawns to sporting equipment for outdoor pastimes, from silver mounted harness for the early 19th-century state chariot to children’s games and puzzles. Displays include a house servant’s room, maids’ work area, games/school room, lady’s boudoir, tack room and blacksmith’s forge.

Scale Model of Longleat House
An exact model of Longleat House as it looks today, accompanied by a display of facsimiles of architectural designs, early engravings and paintings illustrative of the architectural history of this, the first of the Elizabethan prodigy houses. An interactive light system enables the visitor to identify the rooms in the house.

State Chariot
The state chariot of about 1820, painted and upholstered in the family livery colours, was made for the 2nd Marquess of Bath by Barker & Co. of Chandos Street, one of the foremost London carriage builders of the time. The chariot, displayed with livery worn by the coachman and the footmen, was used by the 6th Marquess of Bath to attend the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

Meet My Ancestors

Lord Bath will be taking centre stage at Longleat this summer as his new audio visual presentation entitled ‘Meet My Ancestors’ is launched.

This insider’s guide will cover the whole family tree which includes links to Tacitus, Old King Cole, Alfred the Great and the Royal Family.

Lord Bath will give his own insight into the colourful lives of his ancestors with tales of treason and murder! Find out about Tom ‘o’ Ten Thousand who inherited the Estate in 1670 but was ambushed and murdered on the orders of a jealous Swedish Count who wanted to marry his wife! Or how about Sir John Thynne, the Builder of Longleat House who was twice imprisoned in the Tower of London for alleged embezzlement!

As Lord Bath sums up “It is great fun to be given the opportunity to talk about my ancestors. I am extremely fortunate to have a fantastic library of information and archives that spans the centuries which has given me that insight into my own family. There is growing interest in genealogy and family history so I hope that this will encourage everyone to delve into the past and find out more about their heritage.”

The new attraction will be officially open from Monday 11 August 2008