Holdenby House

Om museet

Holdenby Palace was built from 1583 by Sir Christopher Hatton, Lord Chancellor and favourite of Elizabeth I. It was the largest and grandest house in England, arranged around two courtyards with 123 large glass windows and set in a great garden. After Hatton's death it passed to the Crown and became a palace of James I and then of Charles I.

After his defeat in the Civil War, Charles I was held at Holdenby for five months in 1647, until Cornet Joyce arrived with 500 soldiers and took him away. He was executed in 1649. The palace was sold to the Parliamentarian Adam Baynes, who reduced it to a single wing, and after the Restoration of 1660 it briefly returned to royal ownership. In 1709 it was bought by the Duke of Marlborough, and since then it has passed down the female line to the Lowther family. In the 1870s the remaining wing was altered into the present house, and James and Karen Lowther are the current owners.

The house is still lived in, and visitors on house opening days see rooms such as the Entrance Hall, Dining Room, Library and Ballroom, with portraits of Charles I, the Lowther family and others. The Piano Room holds early and unusual pianos from the British Musical Museum. The Grade I gardens include an Elizabethan garden planted with period plants, a working kitchen garden, King Charles' Walk and the earthworks and Elizabethan pond of the original palace garden. The Icarus Falconry Centre and a tearoom are in the old stables.

Højdepunkter

• Site of an Elizabethan palace where Charles I was held in 1647
• Portraits of Charles I, including the portrait known as Clouded Majesty
• Early and unusual pianos from the British Musical Museum
• Grade I gardens with an Elizabethan garden and a working kitchen garden
• Earthworks and Elizabethan pond of the original palace garden
• Icarus Falconry Centre with flying displays

Permanente udstillinger

• The house and state rooms – Lived-in rooms with portraits of Charles I and the Lowther family, a library with books from the sixteenth century and a piano room with early pianos from the British Musical Museum.
• Gardens and falconry – Grade I gardens with an Elizabethan garden, kitchen garden and the earthworks of the original palace garden, plus the Icarus Falconry Centre.

Ejer

Holdenby House (Lowther family)

Entrépriser & rabatter

Prices are those published for the 2026 season. Ticket prices vary on event days and Bank Holidays, and Bank Holiday tickets include the house. Historic Houses members enter free on regular opening days with an extra charge for the house, but not on event days or with groups; Gardeners' World cardholders get 2-for-1 entry on regular days but not on event days or house open days. Tickets are booked online through Ticket Tailor.

Tilgængelighed

• Delvis kørestolsvenlig
• Elevator: ingen oplysninger
• Handicaptoilet: ingen oplysninger
• Handicapparkering
• Servicehunde tilladt
• Taktile tilbud: ingen oplysninger
• Rundvisninger på tegnsprog: ingen oplysninger
• Letlæste tilbud: ingen oplysninger
• Synstolkning: ingen oplysninger

Visitors with disabilities are welcome, and as much of the site as possible can be reached. The gravel paths are not ideal for wheelchairs. Accessible parking is marked, and Blue Badges should be displayed. Only assistance dogs are allowed because of the falconry birds and animals.

Børn og familie

Velegnet til børn og familier

• Familieomvisninger & workshops

The falconry centre has a small collection of British wildlife and birds that fly at set times, and the website describes the visit as suitable for the whole family. Children under 4 are free, and family tickets are sold. Easter events run in spring.

Transport & parkering

Service & spisesteder

• Café
• Restaurant: findes ikke
• Museumsbutik

The Old Stableyard Tearoom, run by Millie's Bakery in the old Victorian stables, serves cakes, sandwiches and teas, and a gift shop in the stableyard sells gifts by local artists.

Arrangementer & udlejning

• Lokaler til leje
• Private fester
• Bryllupper / vielser

Weddings are held in the state rooms and gardens, and the estate can also be hired for events and filming.

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