Broadlands

Welcome to Broadlands

My Grandfather, Lord Mountbatten, decided early in 1978 to open Broadlands to the public for the first time. This decision was based on his desire to share the happiness of his home with members of the public, and to help offset the ever increasing costs of maintaining this beautiful and historic house. From the start he threw himself whole heartedly into preparing the house for the opening, selecting items of interest for the exhibition and helping to create an audio-visual presentation of his life. For almost six months he worked seven days a week to ensure everything was exactly as he would want it and his enthusiasm rubbed off on all those connected with the project.

On 19 May, 1979, the Prince of Wales officially opened Broadlands to the public. It was a beautiful sunny day and my grandfather was on top form as he showed Prince Charles around. He greeted the first paying guests, an American family, with a smile and a joke as he refunded their money. One thing soon became clear, my grandfather loved being a stately home owner. Throughout the summer of 1979 he was frequently to be seen checking on the progress of the venture and many visitors were surprised when they came face to face with Lord Mountbatten himself. He was a showman at heart and I know how much genuine pleasure he derived from the successful opening of his house.

I was married not long after my grandfather's tragic assassination in August, 1979 and my wife and I decided that the best memorial we could offer to him was to continue the opening of the house and to create in the stable building at Broadlands the Mountbatten Exhibition as he had always envisaged.

We are both delighted to welcome you to our historical home and hope you will greatly enjoy your visit and leave with a happy memory of Broadlands.