Insole Court and Gardens, Fairwater Road, Cardiff CF5 2LN Free entry

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Details

Accessibility

https://www.insolecourt.org/about and https://www.insolecourt.org/visit/accessibility

"Parking
•There are 3 designated disabled parking bays in our car park.

Stable Yard
•All rooms in the Stable Yard are wheelchair accessible apart from Motor House Up (only accessible via stairs).
•There is an accessible toilet adjacent to the Carriage House Hall, as well as one in the toilet block.
•There are baby changing facilities in the toilet adjacent to Stable 2 and in the main toilet block.

Mansion
•All rooms on the ground floor are wheelchair accessible.
•Please note that emergency exits from all rooms on the ground floor have 1 or 2 steps.
•There is a lift to the 1st floor exhibition spaces and to the Primo School of Music on the 2nd floor.

The Potting Shed Café
•Our cafe is set over 2 floors.
•There is external access for wheelchairs to both floors.
There are two wheelchairs available onsite for the use of Visitors.

If you have any questions about accessibility visit, please contact us ahead of your visit."

Brief description

"Our beautiful gardens have been open to all as a public garden since 1946. They are popular for dog walking, picnics or just admiring the flowers. Access is free, with pedestrian access available from the North Gate on Fairwater Road (main entrance), the South Gate on Vaughan Avenue and the East Gate on Insole Gardens.

If you would like to volunteer in our gardens you can join our drop-in session on Wednesdays 10am-1pm. To join us and find out further information about volunteering opportunities, please click here.

We work closely with Cardiff Council to maintain our gardens to the best standards. Our Gardening Volunteers currently work on a project-by-project basis.

For security reasons Cardiff Council lock the park every night and reopen the gates in the morning.

Open daily, 9am-5pm"

The Court (Mansion)

"Entry is free, however optional donations are gratefully received.

The Ground Floor of the house is open to visitors, including our Reading Room, Drawing RoomDining RoomBilliard Room and Butler's Pantry which are accessible to guests.

Please note that some of these rooms are hireable spaces and they may be unavailable to general visitors at certain times. You can call us on 029 2116 7920 before your visit to check room availability and check for dates of house closures to avoid disappointment."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insole_Court

"Insole Court (WelshCwrt Insole) is a Grade II* Listed Victorian Gothic mansion in LlandaffCardiff, Wales, built for wealthy businessman James Harvey Insole (1821 Worcester - 1901 Llandaff)[4][3] and dating back to 1855.

The mansion and Stable Yard are operated by a registered charity, the Insole Court Trust, who began operating the site in 2016. After an extensive refurbishment, the ground floor of the mansion reopened to the public in September 2017. In 2018, the first floor opened to the public for the first time, with an exhibition, 'This House is a Stage' that tells the story of the Insole family.

The site hosts daily classes and activities, as well as a The Potting Shed Café and room hire facilities. The mansion is free to visit and is open every day. The mansion reopened to the public on 22 July 2017.[14] Currently, the ground floor is open to visitors for free and includes a shop and a Reading Room in the former Smoking Room. The upper floor has an immersive walk-through 'play for voices' which dramatises the family history from their first arrival in Cardiff to the last members departing in the 1930s. Ongoing conservation and restoration work of other parts of the upper floors is continuing."

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Address

Insole Court and Gardens, Fairwater Road, Cardiff CF5 2LN 

Email

enquiry@insolecourt.org

Phone

029 2116 7920

Website

https://www.insolecourt.org/about

Directions

"On Foot
Take in the scenery and explore the local area as part of your visit to Insole Court. The Court is only 1 mile from the Taff Trail. Pedestrian access is available from the North Gate on Fairwater Road (main entrance), the South Gate on Vaughan Avenue and the East Gate on Insole Gardens.

By Bicycle

The main cycle routes to Insole Court are:
-From Cardiff Bay via the Ely Trail
-From Cardiff city centre via the Taff Trail

Visit Keeping Cardiff Moving for more information on cycling in Cardiff, including maps of the Taff and Ely Trails.

Bike parking is near the Dairy (car park) or in front of the mansion.

By Car

Insole Court is located off Fairwater Road in Llandaff and is signposted from Llandaff Village. There is car parking on site available on a first come, first served basis, including 3 designated disabled parking bays.
-Check BBC Traffic News.
-Plan your route with the RAC Routeplanner "

Opening Times

Always check with the venue directly for up-to-date information including opening times and admission charges as they may be subject to change

Transport

2023: "By Bus

The nearest buses that operate between Cardiff city centre and Insole Court are:
66 (Cardiff Bus)
Alight on Fairwater Road at Rookwood Close, walk back 150m to the North gate.
25, 62 or 63 (Cardiff Bus) & 122 or 124 (Stagecoach)
This stop is 550m from the North Gate on Fairwater Rd. Alight at Llandaff Black Lion, walk up the hill to the traffic lights, turn left into Fairwater Road, and follow the brown signs.

Insole Court is approximately a 25 minute bus ride from Cardiff city centre.
You can plan your bus or train journey using the Traveline Cymru website or by calling their helpline on 0300 200 22 33.


By Train
The nearest station is Fairwater. Insole Court is 500m from the Fairwater Road exit. Services are operated by Transport For Wales on the City Line that runs from Coryton to Radyr through the city centre (and in reverse)."

Amenities

Gift Shop

"Join us at The Potting Shed Café, with indoor and outdoor seating -a space that celebrates good, ethical and home-made food.

Our offering focuses on the season and we keep it simple, making as much as possible from our little kitchen and supporting local ethical suppliers.

Where possible we cater for food intolerances and our friendly team are more than happy to discuss allergy information. We are considerate to our environment; recycling and composting is an everyday occurrence.

Catering can be provided for events booked at Insole Court; menus can be requested from bookings@insolecourt.org

Indoor seating is available.

Dogs are welcome in the café. Whilst inside the café, well behaved dogs MUST be kept on leads, off the furniture and supervised at all times and kept out of the kitchen area.

Travel Information

For further travel information in Wales please see: www.traveline.cymru/travel-info

Or call Traveline Cymru on 0800 464 0000