Shugborough's mansion closes 2 to 27 November, reopens for Christmas 28 Nov to 23 Dec, then shuts again. Gardens open daily except Christmas Day. Prices inside.
Shugborough stays open all winter, but the mansion does not. The house closes on Monday 2 November and reopens for Christmas on Saturday 28 November, open 11am to 3pm daily until Wednesday 23 December. From Christmas Eve only the gardens, parkland, shop and cafés are open, and the whole estate is closed on Christmas Day. All of this is from the National Trust’s own opening calendar for Shugborough, read on 25 September 2026.
The quick answer
- Mansion: open 11am to 4pm until 1 November, closed 2 to 27 November, open 11am to 3pm from 28 November to 23 December, closed from 24 December.
- Gardens and parkland: open daily, 9am to 4pm from 2 November; closed only on Christmas Day, 2pm close on Christmas Eve.
- Admission: £18 adult, £9 child, £45 family for the whole property; £12, £6 and £30 for park and gardens only. National Trust members free.
Day by day, October to December
The Trust publishes a day-by-day calendar for the estate on its Shugborough page. It runs to 31 December 2026; nothing is published yet for January.
| Dates | Mansion (house) | Servants’ quarters | Gardens, parkland, walled garden | Shop and cafés |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To Wed 28 Oct | 11am to 4pm | 11am to 4pm | 9am to 5pm | Shop 10am to 4.30pm; tea-room 10am to 4pm; Park Farm café 9.30am to 4pm |
| Thu 29 to Sat 31 Oct | 11am to 2pm | 11am to 4pm | 9am to 5pm | As above |
| Sun 1 Nov | 11am to 4pm | 11am to 4pm | 9am to 5pm | As above |
| Mon 2 to Fri 27 Nov | Closed | Closed | 9am to 4pm | 10am to 3pm (Park Farm café from 9.30am) |
| Sat 28 Nov | 11am to 3pm | Closed | 9am to 4pm | 10am to 3pm |
| Sun 29 Nov to Wed 23 Dec | 11am to 3pm | 11am to 3pm | 9am to 4pm | 10am to 3pm |
| Thu 24 Dec | Closed | Closed | 9am to 2pm | 9am to 1.30pm |
| Fri 25 Dec | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed |
| Sat 26 to Thu 31 Dec | Closed | Closed | 9am to 4pm | 10am to 3pm |
The Lichfield Apartments, the private rooms of the photographer Patrick Lichfield, open on selected days until 1 November and then close for the season.
What it costs
From the admission prices on the Trust’s page. Gift Aid prices are about 10% higher.
| Ticket | Whole property | Park and gardens |
|---|---|---|
| Adult (18+) | £18.00 | £12.00 |
| Child (5 to 17) | £9.00 | £6.00 |
| Family (2 adults, up to 3 children) | £45.00 | £30.00 |
| Family (1 adult) | £27.00 | £18.00 |
Under-fives go free and carers go free. In November and after Christmas, when the mansion is shut, the park and gardens ticket is the relevant one.
What is on
Until 1 November: The Great Big Halloween Hunt Trail runs from 17 October to 1 November through the Walled Garden and farmyard, based on the Nosy Crow picture book. No booking is needed and it is included in admission. The Painted Paradise, an exhibition of the estate’s recently conserved 18th-century watercolours, also closes on 1 November.
Christmas: the Trust has not yet listed its Christmas 2026 programme for Shugborough. The calendar shows the mansion and servants’ quarters open daily from late November to 23 December, which is the pattern of a Christmas opening, but the events themselves, and any ticketed sessions, are not on the Trust’s events list yet. We will add them when they are, which we expect in October.
Getting there
The Trust’s directions say the entrance is at Milford, on the A513 about six miles east of Stafford, signposted from junction 13 of the M6. Entry is via the Milford Gates only, on a one-way system, and parking is in the main car park only. For a sat nav it gives the grid location 52.789294, -2.033064.
Check our roadworks and travel page for works on the A513 and A51 before you set off.
More for the winter
Our October half term page lists what else is on in the borough that week. For Christmas, see the Stafford Christmas market, the Gatehouse pantomime and where to see Santa around Stafford.
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