Horse-drawn charabanc tours

When Queen Victoria opened Hampton Court Palace’s gardens to the public in 1838, visitors flocked to the gardens, keen to experience the Maze, the Great Vine and the formal gardens. Horse-drawn charabancs like the Tudor Rose would have been a common sight during the Victorian period, bringing visitors to the palace. Today visitors can tour the gardens in Victorian style.

Our charabanc is based on research into surviving historic vehicles as well as the many old photographs and other images that survive. We spent a year working with Master Coachmaker, Mark Broadbent, to create a charabanc fit for a palace.

The resulting vehicle is as close as we could possibly get to a Victorian horse-drawn charabanc but with a special 21st-century feature - unlike its Victorian predecessors, it is wheelchair accessible via a portable lift (1 wheelchair space available at 10:45 each day.)

Horse-drawn charabanc tours take place on the following days:

• April: Easter School Holidays
• May and June: Saturdays, Sundays and and Bank Holidays
• July, August and September: every day
• October: half term

Wheelchair space available at 10:45 daily.