Claremont Fan Court School - Claremont Mansion

In partnership with the National Trust’s Claremont Landscape Garden, both the mansion, now home to Claremont Fan Court School, and the landscape gardens will be open on Saturday 19 September, with visitors welcome to explore either site. Enjoy free entry to Claremont Landscape Garden, who will also open the historic Belvedere Tower to visitors for the first time in six years.

Discover the remarkable 18th-century Palladian mansion, set within 100 acres of historic parkland in Elmbridge. Once a royal residence and now home to Claremont Fan Court School, visitors can explore the mansion at their leisure, follow the tree walk designed by Claremont’s Head Grounds team and Noelle Leigh MBE of the Claremont Tree Society, or discover Claremont’s onsite Vanbrugh remains as part of the national Vanbrugh300 festival.

Claremont mansion was built by Capability Brown in 1774 for Robert Clive on the site of the former Vanbrugh House, built in 1708 by Sir John Vanbrugh. A former royal residence, it was home to the exiled last King and Queen of France, Prince Leopold of Belgium and Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales, and was a favourite retreat of Queen Victoria.

After several private owners, the mansion became a school in 1931. During the Second World War, it was occupied by the Kingston-based Hawker Aircraft Company, where Hurricane variants were designed. Since 1978, Claremont Fan Court School has been co-educational and is now home to over 1,100 pupils aged 2–18.

Timings

Saturday 19 September:

10.00am - 5.00pm

Location & directions

Claremont Fan Court School, Portsmouth Road, Esher, Surrey, KT10 9HZ

Directions:

Car parking is found in the car park at our Portsmouth Road entrance. Please use KT10 9HZ as the postcode for your sat-nav. The route to the mansion from the car park will be sign posted. For those new to the Claremont Fan Court School site, please note the gravel path to the mansion is on the right hand side of the top car park. Please follow the signs to the mansion along the gravel path, past the swimming pool and up the front steps to find our Heritage Open Day welcome desk.

Contact on day:

Kate Bradford

Telephone number:

+441372473646

Booking information

Pre-booking requirement:

Pre-booking required

Booking conditions:

Due to operational changes, guided tours with school historian Pamela Rider will not be available during this year's Heritage Open Day. However, visitors can enjoy a range of self-guided tours, including a heritage trail, a tour of the remaining Vanbrugh areas on site, and a tree walk, all without pre-booking. Pamela's guided tours will instead take place during Claremont's October Half Term on Tuesday 27 October 2026 at 11.00am and 2.30pm. Each 90-minute tour is limited to 20 people.

Booking contact name:

Kate Bradford

Booking telephone number:

+441372473646

Booking email:

[email protected]

Booking opens:

21 Jun 2026 12:00 AM

Booking closes:

21 Jul 2026 12:00 AM

Accessibility details

Please contact the Marketing department for accessibility requests or enquiries: [email protected].

Additional information

The gate between Claremont Fan Court School and Claremont Landscape Gardens will be open on Heritage Open Day. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/surrey/claremont-landscape-garden

Max number of people:

20

Estimated duration:

1 hour(s) 30 minute(s)

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