📍 stonor
Stonor Park
Ancient private estate in the Chiltern Hills with fallow deer roaming the parkland, a medieval family home and the Tumblestone Hollow woodland adventure play area.
✦ We visited
On a fine day the estate has a quality of genuine escape, the kind that comes from a private working valley rather than a managed tourist attraction. The fallow deer add to that sense, grazing across the parkland entirely on their own terms.
Stonor Park sits in a fold of the Chiltern Hills about four miles north of Henley-on-Thames, and it has been home to the Stonor family for the best part of a thousand years. That long continuity gives the place a different quality from purpose-built attractions: the deer wander where they choose across the valley, the chapel dates to the 13th century, and the house has accumulated layers of family history that make it genuinely interesting rather than simply old.
For families, the centrepiece is Tumblestone Hollow, a woodland adventure experience carved out of the ancient beech woods on the estate. There are elevated walkways and lookout decks, a central tower, climbing nets and bridges, and themed play areas designed to draw children deep into the woodland rather than just around a flat play frame. Younger children find the lower-level elements and the sheer novelty of the setting engrossing; older ones test the higher sections. Tumblestone Hollow and Stonor House require separate admission tickets and operate on different days, so check the website carefully before planning your visit.
The parkland and gardens are the connective tissue between the two attractions, and on a calm day walking between them through the deer park is a pleasure in itself. The fallow deer are a genuine feature rather than a staged encounter: they graze and rest across the estate with no fencing between them and the footpaths, which surprises visitors who expect a more controlled experience.
Good for: history, outdoors, animals, fairytale. Ages: 0–2, 3–4, 5–7, 8–11, 12+.
Good to know
What is Tumblestone Hollow at Stonor Park?
Tumblestone Hollow is the woodland adventure play experience within the Stonor estate, with treetop walkways, a tower, lookout decks, climbing nets and themed play areas set in ancient beech woodland. It is ticketed separately from Stonor House.
Are Stonor House and Tumblestone Hollow included in the same ticket?
No, they are two separate attractions with separate admission prices. Check the website for current pricing and for Tumblestone Hollow adventure day dates, as it opens on specific days through the season.
Are there deer at Stonor Park?
Yes, a herd of fallow deer roams freely across the parkland. They are not fenced from the visitor paths, so you may encounter them at close quarters depending on where they have settled for the day.