At a glance
Erddig Hall (LL13 0YT) is a National Trust property 2 miles south of Wrexham — famous for its "below stairs" servants' areas and unique servant portraits. Adult ~£18, NT members free. Formal 18th-century garden, walled kitchen garden, 180+ variety orchard. Garden open year-round; house seasonal (March–Oct). Combine with Chirk Castle (8 miles). Wrexham station 3 miles.
About Erddig Hall
Erddig Hall stands south of Wrexham — a late 17th-century house built for Joshua Edisbury, passing through several owners before reaching the Yorke family in 1733, who owned it for 240 years until the National Trust took it on in 1973. What makes Erddig exceptional among country houses is not its grandeur (it is handsome rather than grand) but its completeness: the servants' quarters, laundry, bakehouse, sawmill, smithy and stables have been preserved substantially unaltered, giving a rare and human picture of life both above and below stairs across three centuries.
The Yorke family had the remarkable habit of commissioning portraits of their servants — footmen, housemaids, gardeners, coachmen — and hanging them alongside the family portraits. The collection of servant portraits at Erddig is unique in Britain: a visual record of real individuals who worked at the house, with verses written about each one, covering roughly 250 years of domestic service. The National Trust continues this tradition: photographs of recent staff are displayed alongside the historical portraits.
The garden at Erddig is one of the finest restored formal gardens in Wales. The early 18th-century layout — a rectangular canal pool, formal parterre with clipped yews, fruit garden and walled enclosure — was restored by the Trust over many years to its historic form. The orchard contains over 180 varieties of apple, pear and plum, many of which are rare traditional cultivars preserved here and propagated for other collections.
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Frequently asked questions
Erddig Hall is famous above all for its "below stairs" — the servants' quarters and working areas of the house have been preserved substantially unaltered, giving a unique insight into the lives of domestic servants from the 17th to the 20th century. The Yorke family who owned Erddig had the unusual practice of commissioning portraits of their servants, which hang alongside those of the family — an extraordinary social document. The National Trust acquired Erddig in 1973 and has restored both house and garden to exceptional condition.
The Erddig garden is one of the finest restored formal gardens in Wales, laid out in a Dutch-influenced style in the early 18th century. It includes a formal parterre garden with clipped yews and a rectangular canal pool, a walled garden with espaliered fruit trees, orchards with over 180 varieties of traditional apple, pear and plum, a Victorian flower garden and extensive parkland. The garden is remarkable for having retained its early 18th-century layout and structure largely intact.
The gardens at Erddig are open year-round (with reduced winter hours); the house has a seasonal opening period, typically March through October. Check the National Trust website for current opening days and times. National Trust members can visit the house and garden free of charge. Non-members can purchase either a house-and-garden ticket or a garden-only ticket at a lower price.
Erddig is 2 miles south of Wrexham on the B5426 — signed from the A483 Wrexham bypass. By public transport, Wrexham General station is on the Wrexham to Bidston line and the Chester to Shrewsbury line; buses run from Wrexham town centre to Erddig. By car from Llangollen, Erddig is approximately 12 miles on the A5 and A483.
Yes — both are National Trust properties in the Wrexham area and make an excellent combined visit. Chirk Castle (8 miles from Erddig) has outstanding formal gardens, Adam-style interiors and a medieval tower house adapted over centuries. Many NT members combine both in a day — Erddig in the morning for the house and formal garden, Chirk Castle in the afternoon for the gardens and castle tour.