Ranger’s House is a Georgian mansion, dating from 1723, which backs onto Greenwich Park. The house was the official residence of the ranger of Greenwich Park during the 19th century, but now it is open to the public and is home to the Wernher Collection (the art collection amassed by diamond magnate Sir Julius Wernher during the late 19th and early 20th centuries).
What to see at Ranger’s House
The Wernher Collection is the main feature of Ranger’s House.
The collection consists of around 700 items displayed in 12 rooms of the house and includes paintings by Francesco Francia, John Hoppner, Filippino Lippi, Hans Memling, Gabriel Metsu, Sir Joshua Reynolds and George Romney.
The collection also includes decorative art including furniture, ivory from the Byzantine, medieval and Renaissance periods, jewellery, tapestries and Sèvres porcelain.
The eclectic art collection includes L’Amore degli Angeli (the Loves of Angels) marble sculpture by Giulio Bergonzoli, an owl-shaped coconut shell and an original copy of the Madonna of the Pomegranate (Madonna della Melagrana) from Sandro Botticelli’s workshop.
The presentation of the artworks is rather dry and it is not really a suitable place to visit for families with young children.
Visiting Ranger’s House and the Wernher Collection
Ranger’s House is in Blackheath on the southwestern edge of Greenwich Park. It is around a 15-minute walk from both Blackheath and Greenwich railway stations. Trains to Blackheath depart from London Charing Cross and London Bridge railway stations with services every 15 minutes. Trains to Greenwich depart from London Cannon Street and London Bridge railway stations every ten minutes. The journey time from Charing Cross to Blackheath is 20 minutes and from Cannon Street to Greenwich is 12 minutes. Bus 386 runs from Greenwich station and stops at the Chesterfield Gate of Greenwich Park, which is around a five-minute walk from Ranger’s House.
Entry is by guided tour with 90-minute tours (11am & 2pm on Mon, Tue, Wed & Sun) and it is best to arrive around ten minutes before the start of the tour.
Free entry is available with a London Pass as well as to English Heritage and National Art Pass members.
Free entry to Ranger’s House with the London Pass
The London Pass gives you free entry to Ranger’s House and the Wernher Collection and over 80 other attractions in and around London.
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