Polesden Lacey Today
Polesden Lacey was left to the National Trust by Mrs Greville in 1942 in memory of her father, William McEwan (she was his illegitimate daughter and sole heir). There was a serious fire in 1960, which caused damage but not serious loss. In 1995 the National Trust embarked on a programme of restoration and renovation. In 2008/9 the visitor facilities were fairly extensively re-furbished, with a new car park, cafe, shop and farm shop. It received 297,000 visitors in 2011–2012 and 256,000 in 2010–2011, placing it in the Trust's top ten most-visited properties.
Less than half the property is open for viewing. This is because Mrs Greville stated in her will that the bedrooms and such should not be opened. Many of the outbuildings are used by the National Trust as a regional administration centre. The National Trust normally runs sessions to see behind the scenes, including 'Waking-up the House' tours, as the house is opened for the visitor season (early March in 2009) and similar sessions at the end of the season.
There are a number of walks around the Polesden Lacey estate, especially in the valley that the main house overlooks. The estate includes a Youth Hostel, Tanners Hatch.
The re-modelling of the facilities in 2008/9 means that the cafe and shop (as well as the walks) can now be accessed without paying for admission.
Polesden Lacey also has open-air performing facilities, which are used during the summer to host various musical and theatrical events. In 2009 there was the Polesden Lacey Festival.
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