Welcome to Kingston Maurward Animal Park & Gardens

We’ve got all of this and more!

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Brilliant Gardens

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Theatrical Events

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Glorious Goats!

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Homemade Treats

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Theatrical Events

We’ve got all of this and more!

At Kingston Maurward Animal Park and Gardens, we have 35 acres of beautiful formal gardens with year-round interest including two National Plant collections, sweeping lawns, lakeside walks plus a collection of livestock, poultry, and donkeys – to name a few – all set within Grade II listed parkland.

Enjoy a stroll followed by a cup of tea and a piece of cake from our Barn Café, let the children run and play in our indoor or outdoor play areas – or sit on one of our secluded benches, listen to the sound of birdsong and be inspired by a location that so influenced Thomas Hardy. We are free to enter and open daily, we welcome enquiries for group or event bookings, scroll through our menu for more information.

View Opening Times
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Plan your visit

Go!

The Animal Park & Gardens have some accessibility, please get a map from the Barn Café or the Estate Shop to plan your route.

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What’s On?

What’s on

This Easter we have Bunny Trails around the lake! Buy your Trail Pack from The Estate Shop and off you go!

Our Animals

Our Animals, Overview & Adoption

Yes, most animals are available for petting. We do ask that parents of children under 12 keep close to children while interacting with animals.

Can we pet the animals?

Yes, most animals are available for petting. We do ask that parents of children under 12 keep close by while interacting with animals.

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Pigs

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Guinea Pigs

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Rabbits

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Goats

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Ponies

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Waterfowl

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Donkeys

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Alpaca

The Barn & Café

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The Animal Park & Gardens Shop

The Shop provides a lovely choice of gifts, preserves, local spirit and cider products, jewellery and lifestyle items from local artisan suppliers; fresh produce is also in the form of deliciously moreish sweet treats, vegetables grown locally, and eggs.

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Barn Café

Our purpose-built Barn & Café is currently open for takeaway food and drink – we have hot and cold drinks, delicious cakes and pastries, and savory snacks including sandwiches and crisps.

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Indoor Play Area

We also have an indoor play area and seating in the Barn & Café and we look forward to welcoming you! It’s safe, fun, and perfect for little explorers to let loose!

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Seasonal Horsebox

Our horsebox comes out in Spring and is situated to the side of the Main House overlooking the lake. Visitors can stroll through the gardens from the Animal Park, and purchase hot and cold drinks, snacks and ice cream from the horsebox until Autumn.

 

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Book An Educational Visit

To enjoy a great fun day out that is perfect for all the family, admission is free for the Animal Park & Gardens! You can enjoy the animals including goats, ponies, pigs and ducks over and over again! Donations welcome.

Book a visit

Equipment & Facilities

We are pleased to welcome visitors who use wheelchairs and pushchairs. Accessible toilets are provided and access to the café is possible via ramps. The garden is grade II listed; therefore certain parts are inaccessible for visitors with mobility difficulties and pushchairs. Many parts of the garden are accessible but visitors should be advised that there are gravel paths, steps and steep slopes in places. Our staff will be pleased to assist you whenever possible.

Reduced Access

Please note that from time to time there will be limited access to our gardens due to weddings and other events.

Our facilities

Open Everyday between 10am – 4pm

Loads of time for all the animal and garden fun you could ask for!

Outside Washing Facilities

Great for using after touching animals or getting ready for lunch!

Plenty of Public Toilets + Baby Changing

No need to worry about any potential difficulties!

Wheelchair Friendly + Accessible Toilets

Wheelchairs and pushchairs are most welcome; accessible toilets and café ramps available. Note: some Grade II garden areas may be inaccessible due to gravel paths, steps, and slopes. Staff assistance available.

Picnics are Welcome!

We only ask that you kindly take all of your rubbish home please.

Dogs on Leads are Welcome

Dogs welcome on leads in most areas of the Animal Park and Gardens. Enjoy the visit with your pet, but please keep them calm and away from enclosure fences (please do not let them poke their nose through fences) and please be aware that your dog may become overwhelmed and start barking or lunging, if this is the case lead them away to let them calm down by our picnic benches. Bring poop bags and a towel, and please clean up any mess!

Parking / Coaches / Bicycles

We have a car park adjacent to the Animal Park and Gardens entrance, additional Parking is signposted should this be full, with a bit further to walk – see map. Parking is partly on grass so can get muddy – keep your drive wheels on the gravel (most vehicles reverse in).
Coach and Minibus – Parking is available – for further information please call 01305 215017.
Bicycles – We have a bike rack attached to the wall of the Shop.

People LOVE KMC Animal Park!

Did you enjoy your last visit?

Leave us a review
Group 32 - Kingston Maurward Gardens & Animal Park

It was a lovely place to visit. Free parking and entrance. Plenty for all ages to enjoy. We would have liked to know more about the history and present use of the house, park and garden. The cellar cafe sold the most scrumptious white chocolate cake ever! My first time tasting coffee in a bag, not too bad at all.😊 The children will love the small animal, inside and outside play areas.

Barbara (Grace)

4 weeks ago

Group 32 - Kingston Maurward Gardens & Animal Park

A great place to explore and get outside. Expansive gardens, a small animal park, a lake, and the house itself. And FREE admission, you don’t even pay to park! Can’t say that about too many attractions these days. Means you can definitely enjoy a coffee and cake in the café 😉

Jonathan Carre

6 months ago

Group 32 - Kingston Maurward Gardens & Animal Park

Always a wonderful day out, can’t believe it’s still free. Took my daughters of 9 and 12 and we spent over 5 hours here. We took a picnic and purchased ice creams too. So many places to explore and animals to see.

Lorna McQueen

6 months ago

Group 32 - Kingston Maurward Gardens & Animal Park

This is free! The gardens are amazing to explore, cafe with a small play area and small playground outside too – fabulous stop over if you’re going West. Cafe doesn’t have a huge selection but the play area trumped this. Animal park has goats, ducks, donkeys etc, nothing too exciting but it was good for us to stretch our legs mid journey. Garden was incredible, so many hidden paths, steps and places to explore and picnic. Can’t believe it was free.

 

Nat Miller

8 months ago

Group 32 - Kingston Maurward Gardens & Animal Park

Outstanding place to bring children, and for free! This is the sort of place English Heritage would charge you £20 to visit and £5 to park in. Free indoor children’s play area with lovely cafe. Loads of very happy animals to see and wonderful gardens to walk around. Shame about the older chavy students we saw brazenly throwing litter onto the field, disgusting.

Philip

10 months ago

Group 32 - Kingston Maurward Gardens & Animal Park

Free entry to animal park with llamas, donkeys, goats, pigs, geese, etc. Lovely formal garden ‘rooms’ great to amble around or play hide and seek with kids. Sloping lawn from house to lake a lovely spot to laze on a sunny day. Great wildlife walk around the lake. Also has cafe, shop and indoor play area for younger kids. Outdoor climbing frame etc for under 10s.

Ian W

3 weeks ago

Group 32 - Kingston Maurward Gardens & Animal Park

Excellent attraction and free of charge to enter. Would highly recommend. Easy to find and good parking available. Includes small estate shop and cafe on site. Milk vending machine located outside. Good selection of animals all of which look to be in good health.

Adrian J

a Year ago

Group 32 - Kingston Maurward Gardens & Animal Park

Absolutely brilliant – free to get in, enough animals to entertain little ones, brilliant indoor and outdoor play areas, beautiful grounds, decent coffee in the cafe and dogs allowed pretty much everywhere! The perfect destination for my 2&4 year old girls and 8 year old greyhound

Alison Bates

8 months ago

Group 32 - Kingston Maurward Gardens & Animal Park

Brilliant place for youngster’s, it’s free to enter and has all of the animals and some lovely walks around gardens and grounds. They often have trails for children to do. Plus there is the milk shake shed at the entrance.. And they have a Cafe and soft play. Frankly this place is a brilliantly kepy secret. It just great, we go there regularly.

Brendan Hampshire

2 months ago