the henry moore foundation

The Henry Moore Foundation is a national treasure, endowed by Moore to preserve his legacy for the world. Nestled in Perry Green, a Hamlet of Much Hadham, this is a gem in the countryside - art among the sheep fields. Many works are visible from public walkways (though fewer than before the big theft), but to really begin to understand Moore, do the whole thing - tour the restored house, visit the studios and walk the grounds. I especially love the tapestries - giant pieces of work in a barn that are copies of some of his drawings. The maquette studio shows the small maquettes he worked on, and the found objects that inspired him, preserved to look as it did when he worked in it - such a jumble that I see something new every time. The docents are enthusiastic and well-informed. The grounds are lovely. Most years, there is a special exhibition. It's only open Spring-Autumn, so plan ahead. I think this year it might be closed for building work, so plan a countryside walk which allows you to see some of the massive works in fields and walkways. The foundation owns a nearby pub with great food. Well worth the trip. I think they now provided a shuttle from Bishops Stortford Station when they are open, but there are many lovely countryside walks which lead to it.

Second visit to the foundation. Great the second time round as well but pick a dry day. A lot of the sculptures are outdoors although there are some inside exhibitions. Visit the house if you can. By timed ticket and numbers limited. Insight in the lovely house Henry Moore lived in. Car park over the road but I am sure if can get busy. Try to arrive early before the crowds. Enjoy walking around the sculptures and end with a lovely cup of tea and cake in the café. Check opening times before you visit.

Sculptures situated in a bucolic landscape are awe inspiring, especially if seen in the autumn sunshine which threw long shadows on the ground. You feel privileged to see his studio and some of his model sculptures. Little did we know he also designed tapestries, produced many drawings and was a keen photographer. A tour of his house, Hoglands, was fascinating with many artefacts that had influenced him. After all the walking, there was a welcome tea/coffee with some lovely cake! Be advised to check the website for opening times. Small gift shop shares the ticket office. Adequate car parking with overflow parking at the Hoops Inn next door (where we dined later). A thoroughly delightful day all round.

The walk round the grounds to visit the sculptures is brilliant.I have always been a fan of his large sculptures, but was pleasantly surprised to find that he had also produced many drawings and tapestries (of which I had been previously unaware).This is a great place to visit - Opening hours are limited : so check their website before travelwww.henry-moore.org

We read the weather reports and decided to take a chance, that the thunderstorms would not materialise. And we were very lucky.We started our visit with a coffee by the gift shop/ticket office, left our picnic in the car and booked in for a tour round Hoglands. The people manning the ticket office were helpful and patient as we took our time deciding the best time to visit the house.Hoglands is a real home and full of fascinating artefacts that give insights into Henry Moores work. The guides are very knowledgeable, they didn't just reel off information, they obviously knew about the artist, his life and influences.The weather was very kind to us and we were able to wander around the beautiful grounds and enjoy the sculptures. We loved to see the parties of well behaved school children sitting sketching, I hope they remember their day at Perry Green.The studios were intriguing. I wasn't sure about even looking at the tapestries but I am so glad I did. Housed in a beautiful barn they are another interesting set of images.We stopped for our lunch at a set of picnic tables looking over an informal garden. there was no problem going back to the car park to fetch the bags. There is a small covered picnic area near the ticket office but I would imagine it wouldn't be ideal if you had to share with a school visit no matter how well behaved the children. There is a pub right next door which had it rained, would have been our port of call.The highlight of the day for me was the walk across the field to the large reclining figure. It looked so at home. I would love to visit at different times of the day, different times of the year to see how the figure might change. The sheep in the neighbouring field made me smile as I thought of Moores drawings.

A very good day out and interesting site to visit . How good to seen so much of his work and visit his house.

My previous partner lived most of her life a couple of miles from the foundation and never went and neither had any of her relatives. They sure missed a treat.This is a stunning static exhibition set in the grounds of Henry Moore's house. It is vast and beautifully laid out. Nothing is fenced off so all outside exhibits can be touched. On site their are other indoor exhibitions, including Moore's sketches and completed pictures.If you pre-book you also get a free guided tour of the Moore's house, which even for its day was rather dowdy. The kitchen is extremely basic which is why Moore bought the pub next door, The Hoops, which is also well worth a visit.Pick a dry day and expect your visit to take five or more hours.

The work of Henry Moore takes on a whole new dimension in the setting of his home and workplace. Fascinating to see his workshops and 'work in progress'. Viewing the monumental pieces in a lovely garden setting and in open meadows with grazing sheep is an experience not to be missed. Charming staff and a nice pub nearby! A lovely day out which I plan to repeat

A lovely day out, youngest child really enjoyed taking part in an art workshop in the tapestry barn. Loved the Body and Void exhibition. Would definitely visit again.

Came here on the hottest day of the year, and luckily some of the display areas were air conditioned! Very warm welcome in the ticket office, and we left fully informed of everything that was available on site. Friendly and informative guides for the most part, especially in the house and the tapestry barn. Amazing that the extensive grounds are kept by one gardener! After our visit we enjoyed tea and cake under a tree by the ticket office. Delicious home made cake and tea offered in a pot if you wish! What was really nice was that, sitting there in the shade of an apple tree, you KNEW you were in England!

What a wonderful place to visit. Fantastic exhibits indoors and outdoors.Beautifully kept gardens, interesting and polite staff to answer all your questions. Masses to see, including stunning tapestries in a beautiful barn setting. Excellent parking,we took a picnic but there is a pub opposite, and a little cafe as well. Well worth a visit if you are a fan of sculpture, allow plenty of time and go on a dry day.

We attended a wedding at this venue which was previously unknown to us and was a delightful surprise. Time didn't permit us to view all that was available to us but both the room used for the wedding and the sculptures in the gardens made a wonderful setting for us as guests. All the staff we encountered were friendly and very polite. I can see why this is such a destination for art and sculpture lovers and people are well catered for with what looked like a good cafe and pub close by. Good parking.

relaxed close up viewing of the most sublime art.... :) The latest exhibition at Perry Green featuring Damien Hurst, Anesh Kapoor and Anthony Gormley amongst others. What a treat ... a typical summers afternoon, bright blue sky fluffy white clouds and lush greenery offsetting the huge works set in their midst. Be prepared to walk a while its a fair distance but plenty of benches along the way so one can just sit and peruse the magnificence. The tapestry barn is a delight... truly im not one for textiles but these are just breathtaking... trust me go along for a wonderful day out..... the serenity of the landscape juxtaposed with the excitement of the art cant be beaten.. plus... fabby pub next door serving great food at fair prices. You cant go wrong. ENJOY

It was a lovely sunny afternoon. What a day to spend looking at the iconic sculptures. It is well worth walking around the whole site taking in all the sculptures.

We decided at the last moment to visit this attraction as it was a lovely day and the clocks were about to go back shortening the afternoon. It was easy to get to from north east London and the whole area was very pleasant. We started our visit with a guided tour of the house where Henry Moore had lived with his wife and daughter and also organised his exhibitions and sales. We were a little puzzled as to why there was what appeared to be such a high level of security until we were inside at which point we entirely understood. The house contains an amazing collection of works of art and items made or acquired by Henry Moore and you get a tremendous feel of how the Moore family lived their life. We were very lucky as we were the only people on this tour and there were four guides who took us around their respective sections of the house. We are both looking forward to another visit as there is too much to take in on just one look.After that we had some refreshment from the excellent array of cakes etc. and set off around the 28 acres of land. this was breath-taking. in the autumnal sunshine the collection of Moore's work takes on a beauty that you would never find in a gallery. In addition the workshops give you another glimpse of how the artist worked and the maquette studio contained so many pieces of work that it was worth a visit by itself. The orchards were full of apples that we had been invited to collect so we were able to enjoy a dessert made with them later that day. We are looking forward to another visit next spring.