Rainham Hall

Rainham Hall is a Grade II* listed historic building in London Borough of Havering, cared for by the National Trust. Read about its history, architecture and gardens, plus how to visit and what's nearby.

About Rainham Hall

Rainham Hall is a Georgian merchant's house in Rainham, in the London Borough of Havering, built in 1729.

It stands out for its elaborate red brick frontage, laid in a diaper pattern more often seen on Dutch buildings of the period.

The National Trust has cared for the house since 1949.

Inside, the rooms have been left largely bare so visitors can see the building's structure and the marks left by successive occupants.

History of Rainham Hall

The hall was built in 1729 for John Harle, a merchant and ship-owner involved in trade with the Baltic, who wanted a house to match his growing wealth. After passing through various private owners and uses in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including a spell as artists' studios, it was given to the National Trust in 1949. A major conservation project between 2012 and 2015 stripped back later additions to reveal the house's original fabric.

Architecture of Rainham Hall

The house is a fine example of early Georgian domestic architecture, built in red brick with a diaper pattern of darker headers, a style associated with Dutch building traditions of the period. Its wrought iron entrance gates and gate piers are notable survivals from the original build.

Worth knowing

Photographer and aesthete Anthony Denney lived at Rainham Hall from 1964 to 1969 and furnished it with his collection of 18th-century furniture and modern surrealist art, a decorative scheme the National Trust has partly preserved. The house has also been used as a filming location, its intact Georgian interiors making it a useful stand-in for period productions.

Gardens & grounds at Rainham Hall

A walled garden behind the house offers a quiet green space close to the centre of Rainham.

Facilities

Parking Café Toilets Shop EV charging Restaurant Cycle parking

Plan your visit to Rainham Hall

Prices Opening times Official site Google Maps Waze

Nearest station: Rainham (London) Rail Station (0.1 miles)

Open daily except Mondays; check official website for seasonal opening hours and special closures

Places to visit near Rainham Hall

Eastbury Manor House

manor house 4.1 miles

View Eastbury Manor House on heritage map

Red House

historic building 5.0 miles

View Red House on heritage map

St John's Jerusalem

historic building 7.8 miles

View St John's Jerusalem on heritage map

Eltham Palace

historic building 7.8 miles

Visit Eltham Palace View Eltham Palace on heritage map

All Saints Church, East Horndon

church 8.4 miles

View All Saints Church, East Horndon on heritage map

Historic places nearby

Within 5 miles of Rainham Hall there are 1 historic properties, including 1 manor house.

1 National Trust

1 Manor house

See these 1 sites on the heritage map

Within 10 miles of Rainham Hall there are 10 historic properties, including 7 historic buildings, across English Heritage, National Trust and Churches Conservation Trust sites.

5 English Heritage

3 National Trust

1 Churches Conservation Trust

1 Historic Houses

7 Historic building

1 Church

1 Historic house

1 Manor house

See these 10 sites on the heritage map

Within 20 miles of Rainham Hall there are 78 historic properties, including 33 historic buildings, 17 historic houses and 9 churchs, across English Heritage, National Trust and Historic Houses sites.

27 English Heritage

20 National Trust

17 Historic Houses

9 Churches Conservation Trust

3 Historic Royal Palaces

33 Historic building

17 Historic house

9 Church

6 Castle

3 Manor house

3 Museum

3 Palace

2 Garden

1 Archaeological site

1 Priory

See these 78 sites on the heritage map