Yorkshire has some of the finest stately homes, historic castles and formal gardens in the country. If you’re looking for a great day, you’re spoilt for choice, says STEPHEN LEWIS.
SPRING is well and truly here – at least, if the sizzling temperatures we enjoyed earlier this week were anything to go by. Many of us will start taking advantage of the weekends to enjoy days out with the family again.
Yorkshire is blessed with some of the finest stately homes, historic castles and formal gardens in the country.
Many are open to the public. And whether you’re into roaming the riverside and woodland paths at beautiful Bolton Abbey, exploring the peaceful walled gardens at Scampston Hall near Malton, or taking in the stunning furniture, paintings and statuary or the beautiful parkland at Castle Howard, they all make for great days out.
There are also a host of special events coming up, including tulip festivals, painting workshops and May Day celebrations.
A free 2015 guide is now available which should help you make the most of what Yorkshire’s great houses and gardens have to offer.
“There are some wonderful places to see and visit – beautiful gardens, stunning houses, great art collections and exhibitions, even Yorkshire’s very own arboretum,” says Sir Thomas Ingilby, the owner of Ripley Castle and chair of the Yorkshire’s Great Houses, Castles and Gardens consortium, which has produced the guide. “If you’re looking for some great days out with all the family... you need look no further.”
You can order a copy of your free guide by phoning 01759 373628, or can find out more at castlesandgardens.co.uk
In the meantime, here are just a few suggestions for things to do over the next few weekends, taken from the guide:
Burnby Hall Gardens
THE gardens are home to a collection of more than 100 varieties of water lily, which flower from June to August on the upper and lower lakes. From today until May 9, it is tulips that will be taking centre stage, in the Tulip Festival.
There is much more to enjoy at Burnby Hall, too, however – eight acres of woodland and garden which feature an ornamental bridge, a Victorian garden, an aviary, a rockery and a ‘stumpery’. All this plus the Stewart Museum, which houses a collection of artefacts collected by Major Stewart on no fewer than eight world tours between 1906 and 1926. Or, if you’re really into celebrating the coming of spring, on May 4 the Hall will also be holding its own May Day celebrations.
• Burnby Hall Gardens, The Balk, Pocklington, East Yorkshire, 01759 307125 or burnbyhallgardens.com
Ripley Castle and gardens
THE castle has been the ancestral home of the Ingilby family for 700 years, and the history of England is reflected in the castle and its contents. Guided tours take in the civil war armoury, plus tales of bravery, treason, plotting and loss from down the centuries. The gardens are also open for for those who enjoy tranquil walks through the parkland, flower gardens and walled vegetable garden.
Tomorrow (April 26) there is an all-day wedding fair at the castle, while on Wednesday garden lovers will be in for a real treat: a ‘meet the gardener’ tour...
• Ripley Castle and gardens, Ripley, near Harrogate, 01423 770152 or ripleycastle.co.uk
RHS Garden Harlow Carr
SITTING in a natural, dish-shaped valley just outside Harrogate, this is one of the great gardens: a stunning mixture of herbaceous borders, wildflower and woodland gardens, with the longest streamside garden in the UK. There is also a beautiful kitchen garden, a children’s tree house – and a woodland bird hide.
If you needed a special reason to visit, you will have it a week tomorrow (Sunday May 3) – the Harlow Carr annual Spring Plant Fair.
• RHA Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, off Otley Road, Harrogate, 0845 265 8070 rhs.org.uk/harlowcarr
Castle Howard
BUILT by Sir John Vanbrugh for the 3rd Earl of Carlisle in the 18th century, this is one of England’s greatest houses: the setting for fictional Brideshead and in real life the home to members of the Howard family to this day.
Stunning interiors filled with great art, sculpture and porcelain, plus beautiful parkland and gardens dotted with statues, temples, lakes and fountains. Need we say more?
• Castle Howard, near York: 01653 648333 castlehoward.co.uk
Constable Burton Hall gardens
BUILT for Sir Marmaduke Wyvil by John Carr near Leyburn in 1768, the hall is an elegant Grade 1 listed Georgian house which remains the private home of the Wyvil family to this day. Visitors can, however, enjoy the gardens with their abundant wildlife. Wander the trails through extensive woodland and formal gardens and, over the May bank holiday weekend – from May 2to May 4 –enjoy the hall’s tulip festival.
• Constable Burton Hall gardens, near Leyburn, North Yorkshire, 01677 450428 constableburton.com
Harewood House
Another of England’s great Georgian houses, sitting in parkland designed by ‘Capability’ Brown with stunning terrace views. Inside is Chippendale furniture, exquisite state rooms and, ‘below stairs’, a chance for young visitors to dress up as kitchen hands and discover what life was like for the servants...
• Harewood House, Harewood, near Leeds, 0113 218 1000 harewood.org
Beningbrough Hall
Inside the Italian-inspired National Trust-owned house are artworks from the National Portrait Gallery, plus hands-on interactive galleries. Outside, there is a working walled garden, plus eight acres of formal gardens and woodland and riverside walks. All this plus a den zone and activities for children - and it is just a few miles from York...
• Beningbrough Hall, near York, 01904 472027 nationaltrust.org.uk/beningbrough
Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal
Wonderful, atmospheric abbey ruins, plus the elegant water gardens of Studley Royal, which feature mirror-like ponds, statues, follies and romantic ruins. Another National Trust property that is also a World Heritage Site. Yes, it’s that good.
• Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, Fountains, Ripon, 01765 608888 nationaltrust.org.uk/fountainsabbey
Goddards House & Garden
THE cherished home of Noel Goddard Terry, of the chocolate-making firm. Designed by architect Walter Brierley in the arts and crafts style, the house also has four acres of gardens designed by George Dillistone.
• Goddards house and garden, 27 Tadcaster Road, York, 01904 771930 nationaltrust.org.uk/goddards
The Yorkshire Arboretum
A GLORIOUS, 120-acre ‘tree garden’ amid stunning landscape on the Castle Howard estate. New trees are planted each year, and there are also wildflower meadows, a woodland playground and a café serving home cooked food...
• The Yorkshire Arboretum, Castle Howard, near York, 01653 648598 yorkshirearboretum.org
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