Highlights
- The walled garden and colour-themed borders
- The sandstone rock garden and streamside planting
- The Nut Walk, Pergola and Japanese Tea House and Bridge
- Glasshouses and plant collections from China, the Americas and alpine regions
- The restored Arts and Crafts house, with three floors of exhibition rooms
About Winterbourne House and Garden
Winterbourne was built in 1903 to 1904 as a family home for John Sutton Nettlefold, of the GKN manufacturing family and a pioneer of town planning, and his wife Margaret. The Arts and Crafts house was designed by the local architect Joseph Lancaster Ball, while Margaret Nettlefold designed the garden, drawing on the books and gardens of Gertrude Jekyll.
The Nettlefolds left in 1919. The last private owner, John MacDonald Nicolson, was a keen gardener who left the house and garden to the University of Birmingham on his death in 1944, and it became the university's botanic garden. The house reopened to the public after a £3 million restoration, and the 7-acre garden is Grade II listed.
What to see
- Walled garden and borders: colour-themed herbaceous planting in the Jekyll tradition.
- Sandstone rock garden and Stream Lawn: alpine plants and streamside planting.
- Nut Walk and Pergola: classic Edwardian garden features.
- Japanese Tea House and Bridge, and the Lychgate.
- Glasshouses and collections: plants from China, North and South America and alpine regions.
- The house: three floors of rooms telling the story of the Nettlefolds and the house.
Planning your visit
Winterbourne is at 58 Edgbaston Park Road, on the University of Birmingham's Edgbaston campus. There are about 50 parking spaces on site, with overflow parking in the Pritchatts Road multistorey on busy days. The site is card only.
The Terrace Tea Room serves refreshments, and there are gift shops, plant sales and a children's garden with a willow tunnel and picnic tables. A platform lift serves the house, there is an accessible toilet on the ground floor, and wheelchairs and scooters can be borrowed free.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to visit Winterbourne House and Garden?
Adult entry is £11.25 with Gift Aid or £10.20 without. Children aged 5 to 16 pay £8.05 or £7.30, under 5s go free, and there is a family ticket. RHS members get in free from Monday to Wednesday.
Is there parking at Winterbourne?
Yes. There are about 50 spaces on site, including three Blue Badge spaces by the house. On busy days you can use the multistorey car park on Pritchatts Road.
Is Winterbourne accessible?
Many garden paths are step-free, a platform lift serves all three floors of the house, and wheelchairs and mobility scooters can be borrowed free. Carers of disabled visitors are admitted free.