Well worth getting your tickets from the National Gallery web site. But book early as they go fast. Fantastic collection of art and furniture in this private property. Very knowledgeable and helpful guides lead you through the rooms and galleries and then allow you time in the gardens. Pick up from the Radnor Arms or Salisbury Railway Station.

Private castle, peaceful, and a lot of history within its walls. I just wish to be open more.

Very special place to visit & the art is outstanding. Must be booked with the National Gallery

Longford Castle is a beautiful, partly Elizabethan, partly Victorian castle hidden away in the countryside just outside Salisbury. Tickets for guided tours are available via The National Gallery. The tickets are very popular and sell out very quickly once on sale. With a vast amount of artwork from Reynolds, Gainsborough and van Dyck to name just a few of the art collection at Longford Castle, a guided tour through the castle is a must for any art lover. The guided tour lasts for around 2.5 hrs and takes you through some beautiful private rooms. We had 2 tour guides to take us through the rooms, who were both very knowledgeable and made the explanations of the artwork very interesting. As the castle and rooms are all private unfortunately it is not allowed to take any pictures of the inside of the castle, but you are allowed to take pictures in the gardens. It is not possible to drive up to the castle yourself, but there is a coach service to take you there. When I bought my ticket for the guided tour I had a choice as to whether I want picking up from Salisbury train station, or the Radnor Arms Pub in Nunton. From Radnor Arms Pub it only took about 10 minutes to drive to the castle. Pick up from the pub was at 2pm, so there is time to maybe stop in the pub for a lunch and a drink first. It was all very well and professionally done and I will definitely try to get tickets again for next year.

An amazing beautiful stately/family home with fantastic artwork.

Located in the historic city of Salisbury, Longford Castle is definitely worth a visit while touring the United Kingdom. Built in the sixteenth century, the castle resides away from the city noise in a secluded corner of South Wiltshire, England. The castle served as a residential manor for various influential families over the centuries until it eventually became a seat of the Earl of Radnor. At present, the castle is home to the 9th Earl of Radnor but is also open to the public. Visiting this Salisbury beauty spot, you will enjoy a breath of fresh air in its scenic surroundings as well as the peace and calm that envelops the castle. History In 1573 Thomas Gorges acquired the manor (at the time written "Langford"), which was originally owned by the Servington (or Cervington) family. Prior to this the existing mansion house had been damaged by fire. In c.1576 Thomas Gorges married Helena Snakenborg, the Swedish born dowager Marchioness of Northampton and Lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth. They rebuilt the Longford property as a triangular Swedish pattern castle on the banks of the River Avon. The building work became very expensive due to problems with the subsoil. Sir Thomas Gorges, who was now governor of Hurst Castle, persuaded his wife to beg of the Queen a shipwreck he knew from the defeated Spanish Armada. The gift was granted and the gold and silver retrieved from the shipwreck funded the completion of the castle under the final supervision of John Thorpe in 1591. The family lived in the castle for several years before its final completion. In September 1603 the royal family came on progress nearby and Roger Wilbraham described Longford as, "a faire new house of stone, a triangle with three great towers at each end, wherein are his favourite chambers, & he hath the fairest garden and green walks". The main building had several floors and was triangular with a round tower in each corner; the three towers representing the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. There was a chapel, kitchen department, several boudoirs and sitting rooms, as well as bedrooms. Fresh cold water was pumped to various floors and there were water closets operating with rainwater. A park, fruit garden and kitchen garden were attached. In 1717 Longford Castle became the Bouverie home, purchased by Sir Edward des Bouverie from the Coleraines. It is said that Sir Edward saw and fell in love with the castle in the valley as he rode past, having enough money in his saddle bags to effect the purchase there and then. Subsequent generations of the family beautified the interior of the castle and surrounding park; by 1773 the castle was surrounded by a formal park, laid out with avenues and rides. Landscaping advice was sought from Lancelot Brown around 1777. However, Jacob, 2nd Earl of Radnor (1749-1828), employed James Wyatt to change Longford from a reasonably modest chateau into a hexagonal palace "to the despair of future generations". He destroyed one of the Elizabethan towers and replaced it with a larger one of his own design, added two more towers and linked each to each other. In 1832 the 3rd Earl created a new formal garden to the south of the castle, in 17th-century style. The palace concept was not finished: it was Jacob, 4th Earl of Radnor (1815-1889), who oversaw the last significant changes to the castle architecture, undertaken by Anthony Salvin. These included the formation of a second courtyard, the doming over of the central courtyard, the addition of a square tower, and alterations to the formal garden.