Ashton Court Mansion

What it’s like

A grand old mansion hosting antique and car shows, markets and fairs, with under 16s free at the shows.

This isn't a mansion set up for a standard kids' day out, it's more that it hosts things worth wandering round with them. Antique and car shows, markets and fairs, exhibitions, the sort of event where a car-mad seven-year-old will want to peer at every bonnet and you'll end up dawdling by a stall you didn't plan to stop at.

Entry to the antiques and car shows is £2.50, and under 16s go in free, which makes it an easy one to say yes to on a Saturday morning without thinking too hard about cost. It's not a ticketed attraction in the usual sense, more a building that fills up with different events, so what you actually find on the day depends a bit on when you turn up.

Worth knowing that the mansion itself is mid-transformation. It's run by a trust on a tenancy at will while they work towards a long-term lease with Bristol City Council, and the plan is for it to become a proper civic space eventually, with culture, heritage, food and outdoor activity all part of the vision. For now it's the shows and fairs that give you a reason to go, rather than a set list of rooms to explore.

Need to know

Worth knowing

Under 16s free entry to antiques and car shows

• Under 16s go free to the antiques and car shows, adults pay £2.50
• The mansion is run by a trust on a temporary tenancy while a longer lease is worked out, so it's still finding its feet as a venue
• What's on varies by date since it's shows and fairs rather than a fixed set of exhibits

Plan your visit

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