The out-of-hours tour at the Wallace Collection

Why it is on the list

The Wallace Collection is the former townhouse of the Marquesses of Hertford on Manchester Square, left to the nation by Lady Wallace and open since 1900.¹ Its French 18th-century decorative arts are among the largest holdings of their kind in the world, shown with Old Master paintings and arms and armour: about 5,500 objects in all.¹ The out-of-hours tour gives one party the house from 9 to 10 on a weekday, an hour before public opening at 10, with a guide lecturer who takes it through the furniture, porcelain, arms and armour, decorative arts and paintings.²³

It is the wrong choice at a weekend, when the tour does not run, or for more than 25 guests with one guide.²

How to get it

Book through the Venue Hire team: write to events@wallacecollection.org or call +44 20 7563 9507 and ask for an out-of-hours tour.² The tour costs £1,500 plus VAT, with one guide lecturer for up to 25 guests.² A private tour of the temporary exhibition can be arranged on request, from £2,500 plus VAT.² Parts of the museum can close at short notice, so confirm which galleries are open on the day.³ The nearest Tube is Bond Street, a seven-minute walk; there is no visitor parking on site, and street parking around the square is metered.⁴

Discretion

The tour runs before the doors open to the public, so the galleries hold only your party and its guide.⁵³ Hertford House is hired for one event at a time, which keeps out-of-hours access private.⁶