National Trust - Lamb House

Beautiful house full of history. Where the
author lived & worked. Rooms are simple
and informative. Pretty garden with great
vegetables. Lovely just to sit and enjoy the
quiet. Delightful cafe with outdoor seating.
Not suitable for wheelchairs. Toilets. Very
well maintained by the National Trust.

The property is being lovingly restored by the National Trust, and it now contains lots of Henry James memorabilia as well as materials about the earlier history of the building. The garden is a delight. The volunteers are very welcoming and knowledgeable. A lovely touch is vases of fresh seasonal flowers in many of the rooms.

Lamb House is a lovely property in central Rye, and worth a 30 minute+ visit over two floors and a garden.

This was built by Rye mayor James Lamb in 1723, stayed in by King George I, then later became the home of American writer Henry James from 1898-1916 and EF Benson. It includes a little information on him and the house as well as about the many other famous writers that visited.

It’s unfortunate that the garden house was bombed in 1940, so the place he actually wrote no longer exists, but does have the house and garden where he lived.

Tickets are next door (free with national trust), and parking is through one of Rye’s main lots.

Volunteers are helpful, As well.

Lamb House, where American novelist Henry James lived for a number of years, is one of the more interesting tourist attractions in the small model town of Rye, especially for literary aficionados. A tour of the house will take you under an hour and includes the living room, bedroom, library and so on, including genuine furniture and items used by Henry James. Nice, but not spectacular. James entertained many fellow writers and artists in this house, some of whom I personally find more interesting, like e.g. Stephen Crane (author of "The Red Badge of Courage" and "Maggie: A Girl of the Streets") or painter John Singer Sargent, whose "Carnation, Lily, Lily Rose" is one of my great favourites. The volunteers are friendly and knowledgeable. Just don't make the mistake I made and tell them that you find Henry James's own writing stuffy and boring! [In fact I don't know a single fellow student of American literature who hasn't fallen asleep while reading one of his novels] ;) - Anyway: A main attraction is the lovely garden, the largest of its kind in all of Rye. There you can relax for a while and imagine yourself to have been an important writer of the time.

I thought the cobbled Street leading up to the house was full of beautiful properties. The houses had fantastic names like ' The house with a seat', ' The house with two doors '
If like us you enter the house banishing your National Trust cards, your soon told to go next door to get an entrance ticket. This wasn't obvious as we noticed several other visitors doing the same. Larger notices might help!
The garden is the Largest in Rye apparently, we found this out on our visit.
My other favourite piece of information from the staff was that Henry James gave lavish dinner parties but was very frugal when he ate alone.

Great house, where Henry James lived and wrote his books, great gardens. Lovely National Trust building, great upkeep. Reasonably priced and Rye is a fantastic area to visit.

The home of author Henry James, in Rye, Kent UK. Georgian style, amidst many 17th to 19th century homes, a lovely chapel and numerous historical sites. Very enjoyable walking tour, with nearby castle to visit as well.

A little disappointing by National Trust standards. Rather small, not very well furnished and poor information about the property. The garden was the highlight but even that was only a 15 minute walk around it. Too few of the overall rooms were open for viewing. There is no parking on site but it is within easy reach of public paying car park. Set in the quaint little town of Rye, so if already members worth a visit to both. If not members, I think the current charge of £8 is rather steep for what's on offer.