Things to do in Stafford: three free heritage sites

Stafford’s three headline heritage attractions all cost nothing to get into. A Norman castle on a motte, the largest surviving Tudor timber-framed town house in England, and the thatched cottage of the man who wrote The Compleat Angler are all free, run by Historic Stafford, and take donations rather than admission. What they do not share is an opening pattern, which is the thing that catches people out.

What opens when

Stafford Castle

Newport Road, ST16 1DJ. Free, donations welcome.

A Norman castle on a 26-acre site above the town, with the ruined keep on its motte, a visitor centre, a herb garden and an events programme. The walk up from the car park is the point as much as the ruin is: the view back over Stafford explains why someone built here.

Opening: April to October, Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 4pm. November to March, Saturday and Sunday, 11am to 4pm. On days when school tours are in, the visitor centre opens later, at 2.15pm, but the grounds stay open. Telephone 01785 257698.

The Ancient High House

Greengate Street, ST16 2JA. Free, donations welcome.

Built around 1595 and described by its operator as the largest surviving timber-framed town house in England from the Tudor period. It stands on the main street in the middle of Stafford, four storeys of black-and-white timber that most visitors photograph before they realise they can walk in. Inside there are period rooms, exhibitions, a museum and a shop, plus family activities.

Opening: Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm.

Izaak Walton’s Cottage

Worston Lane, Stone, ST15 0PA. Free, donations welcome.

The 17th-century thatched cottage associated with Izaak Walton, whose The Compleat Angler has stayed in print since 1653. Period rooms, a shop and a knot garden, and a collection about the history of fishing.

Opening: the short one. Sundays, 1pm to 5pm, from 3 May to 31 August 2026. If you want to see it this year, that leaves very few Sundays.

Victoria Park

Tenterbanks, ST16 2QF. Free.

A Green Flag park on the banks of the Sow in the middle of town, opened in 1908 and restored with a £2.5 million Heritage Lottery Fund project completed in autumn 2020. There is a play area with climbing nets, slides, swings, a trampoline and a wheeled sports bowl, an aviary, a sensory raised garden, a splash pad, riverside walks, an amphitheatre, a bandstand, a bowling green, toilets and Albert’s Café.

Opening: 8am to 9pm May to August, 8am to 8pm April and September, 8am to 6pm March and October, and 8am to 4.30pm November to February. The play area opens at 10am and closes an hour before the park does. Park at Tenterbanks or Doxey Road; see the car park charges.

Doxey Marshes

ST16 1PU, off the A5013 Eccleshall Road near M6 junction 14. Free, open at all times.

121 hectares of wet grassland within two miles of the town centre, run by Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Over 200 bird species have been recorded and more than 80 breed here, with populations of lapwing, snipe and redshank that are nationally important. There are otter, harvest mouse and water shrew, and the largest area of reed sweet-grass in the Midlands. In spring the pastures carry lady’s smock and ragged robin.

Access: parking at the end of Wootton Drive, with a height barrier, managed by the borough council rather than the Trust. Paths are flat crushed hardcore with RADAR kissing gates, usable by mobility scooters but not wheelchairs, and flooding occasionally cuts access. Bring binoculars and boots.

Amerton Farm

Stowe by Chartley, ST18 0LA.

General admission and car parking are free. The site is open seven days a week, 10am to 5pm, closed only on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. It holds the Amerton Artisan Hall and a set of independent businesses, food and Sunbury’s ice cream.

The paid part is Billy’s Farm Barn, the indoor play barn, open Wednesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm and every day in school holidays and on bank holidays, with outdoor play, animals to meet and tractor and trailer rides. Book that through the farm’s own site; the rest of the visit costs nothing but what you spend.

Stafford Gatehouse Theatre

Eastgate Street, ST16 2LT. Box office 01785 619080.

The town’s main venue, run by Future Leisure in partnership with the borough council, with a main auditorium and the smaller MET Studio. It programmes theatre, live comedy, music and cinema. Coming up: Peter Pan on 21 and 22 August, at 1pm and 6pm; Nerdy Prudes Must Die on 4 and 5 September; a Classic Film Afternoon showing Top Hat on 10 September; The Comedy Network the same evening at 8pm; folk musician Dan Walsh on 11 September; The Shakin’ Stevens Story on 12 September; and Jonny Cole’s Armagudd’n on 13 September.

Also in the borough

Two larger attractions sit inside Stafford borough and are worth a day each: Shugborough Estate at Milford, the National Trust’s Staffordshire mansion and parkland on the edge of Cannock Chase, and World of Wedgwood at Barlaston. We could not read either site’s opening and admission pages when compiling this, so check both directly before setting off rather than trusting a figure quoted second hand.

Frequently asked questions

Is Stafford Castle free?

Yes. Entry to Stafford Castle and its visitor centre is free, with donations welcome. It opens Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 4pm, from April to October, and weekends only from November to March.

What is there to do in Stafford in the rain?

The Ancient High House on Greengate Street (free, Tuesday to Saturday), the Stafford Gatehouse Theatre on Eastgate Street, and Billy’s Farm Barn, the indoor play barn at Amerton Farm.

What can you do in Stafford for free?

Stafford Castle, the Ancient High House, Izaak Walton’s Cottage, Victoria Park, Doxey Marshes and the Amerton Farm site including its parking. That is most of a weekend without an admission charge.

Is anything open on a Monday in Stafford?

Victoria Park, Doxey Marshes and the Amerton Farm site are open every day. All three free heritage sites are closed on Mondays.

Where can you go birdwatching near Stafford?

Doxey Marshes, a 121-hectare SSSI two miles from the town centre with more than 200 recorded bird species. It is free and open at all times.

What is there to do in Stone?

Izaak Walton’s Cottage on Worston Lane, open Sunday afternoons in summer, and the town itself on the Trent and Mersey Canal. Parking in Stone is £1.40 for two hours.

Sources

• Historic Stafford for Stafford Castle, the Ancient High House and Izaak Walton’s Cottage: addresses, opening times and free admission.
• Victoria Park, Stafford Borough Council, for facilities, opening hours, Green Flag status and the restoration.
• Doxey Marshes, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, for size, designation, access and wildlife.
• Amerton Farm for opening hours, free admission and parking, and Billy’s Farm Barn.
• Stafford Gatehouse Theatre for the venue, operator and programme.

Opening times change, particularly out of season. Check with the venue before travelling.