House, Gardens & Cafe Open Tuesday - Sunday 10.30 - 17.00

Timothy Tortoise ‘Claystation’

Make a tortoise from clay to take away!

Come and meet ‘Timothy’ Gilbert Whites pet tortoise and create your very own clay version to take away with you.

Free event with Museum or Garden entry

10.30- 2pm on the lawn (or until the clay runs out)

    Gilbert Whites House

    Gilbert White was aged 7 or 8 when the White family moved from the Vicarage on Selborne’s Plestor, to this house, called ‘The Wakes’ (named after the Wake family who had lived here previously). At that time the property would have been no more than a ‘two up, two down’  but over the subsequent years lots of extensions and additions have been made, creating the long sizeable house you see today.

    The rooms have been restored following descriptions in White’s own correspondence and include a chair he used at Oriel College, Oxford (loaned from the College), items of contemporary furniture, family portraits and bed hangings embroidered for him by his aunts.

    On display is the original manuscript of his book, The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne, which was purchased with generous help from English Heritage and others.

    Learn more