Heritage Open Day - Parade House

About

Step back in history to the Georgian period and visit the elegant rooms of Grade I listed Parade House, one of Wiltshire's finest buildings dating from 1720.

Built in around 1720 for the wealthy cloth merchant Robert Houlton, and recently saved from dereliction and restored to its former glory, Parade House is one of the finest and most elegant buildings in Trowbridge, the centrepiece of what Pevsner's Guide to Wiltshire described as a "stretch of palaces" along Fore Street. This prestigious building features beautifully furnished reception rooms, a sweeping original 18th Century staircase leading to a grand first floor ballroom with seven full height sash windows spanning the width of the building.

Of particular note is also the fully panelled Director's Room with ornate ceiling and marble fireplace, the delicate Bridgerton style Blue Drawing Room and the intricate plaster ceiling coving over the first floor landing featuring a garland of flowers and fruit. The original vaults have recently been converted into a stylish bar and small cinema and there are three walk in safes dating from the first half of this century when Parade House was the head office of Ushers Brewery.

Afternoon Cream Tea in the Ballroom 1600-1700 (tickets can be purchased via our website) and refreshments in the Ushers Bar and Lounge 1100-1500.