We hope to welcome you to our estate for the 2009 season.
PLEASE NOTE! DUE TO A PRIVATE FUNCTION WE ARE CLOSED THIS THURSDAY 2ND JULY.
Open Tuesday to Friday for tea rooms and farm shop 10am-4pm. The tea room and farm shop are open until 25th September.
Wednesday is a NGS open day 10-4pm, and visitors can wander around the gardens at their leisure.
On Fridays we run "walks with the gardener" at 11am and 2pm only.
Tuesday and Thursdays for the gardens are by appointment only, and preferably for groups larger than 10.
All enquiries on the above to the estate office.
ABOUT US•
Waltham Place is a privately owned estate open to the public. It is situated approximately 35 miles to the west of London at White Waltham, near Maidenhead in Berkshire. Its 170 acres set on undulating clay countryside is at the edge of the chalk belt. About 100 acres are devoted to farming where permanent pastures, arable fields and orchards intermingle with areas of park- and woodlands. The ornamental gardens and the kitchen garden are found close to the main buildings.
PHILOSOPHY •
It is hoped that today’s visitor will appreciate that an oasis has been created and is maintained based on sound agricultural, environmental, food processing and social principles. This vision has not been achieved overnight: it has been realised through the understanding that organic husbandry needs to coexist with the natural systems already in place, thereby fostering a healthy and vibrant ecosystem. Self-sufficiency has become reality. A growing delight in nature exudes and much is done to protect and encourage wildlife.
HISTORY •
White Waltham. The name Waltham derives from Weald (woodland) and Ham (enclosure) and is associated with early Saxon forest clearance between the years AD 450-550. “The element Weald became Walt by the 11th century, and a study of other Waltham names indicates that they were usually administrative centres associated with royalty and hunting, in this case the royal estate and forest belonging to the castle and Palace at Windsor.” (From the book Waltham Place and its surrounding Parish by Luke Over and Nicky Oppenheimer, 2001) White is presumed to allude to the fact that the parish stands on the edge of the chalk.
A Manor House has stood on the present site for the last thousand years, housing many distinguished owners including Turold, designer of the Bayeux Tapestry, and the first Windsor dynasty. The Oppenheimer family have resided here since 1910 and the present occupiers Nicky and Strilli Oppenheimer,the family members who currently reside there, are staunch believers in organic husbandry in all its facets.
