Burton Constable Hall

About the museum

Burton Constable has belonged to the Constable family for more than 700 years. The oldest surviving part is Stephen's Tower, and a brick manor house was built in the late 15th century. Much of this was pulled down in the 1560s, when Sir John Constable built a grand Elizabethan mansion around parts of the earlier house, with a great hall rising the full height of the building.

In the 18th century William Constable, a gentleman of the Enlightenment, refashioned the interior and employed leading designers. He commissioned furniture from Thomas Chippendale and created the Great Drawing Room, and the park was landscaped by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown. William was also a keen collector, and his Cabinet of Curiosities of scientific instruments, antiquities and natural history specimens is the most significant surviving collection of its kind in any English country house. In the 19th century members of the Clifford Constable family added rooms such as the Chinese Room, inspired by the Brighton Pavilion.

Today the house is cared for by the Burton Constable Foundation and is open to visitors, who can explore up to thirty rooms of furniture, paintings and sculpture. The restored stable block of 1770 houses the Stables Kitchen, the gift shop and the skeleton of a sperm whale washed ashore in 1825, known as Constable Moby. The grounds cover about 300 acres of parkland, lakes and woodland.

Highlights

• Elizabethan mansion with up to thirty rooms of historic interiors
• Great Drawing Room and other rooms with Chippendale furniture
• Cabinet of Curiosities, the most significant of its kind in an English country house
• Constable Moby, a sperm whale skeleton that inspired a passage in Moby-Dick
• Parkland designed by Capability Brown with lakes, walks and trails
• Restored 1770 stable block with clock tower and interactive displays

Permanent exhibitions

• The Hall's historic rooms – A free-flow tour of up to thirty rooms, including the Great Hall, Long Gallery, Chinese Room and Great Drawing Room, with furniture, paintings and sculpture.
• Cabinet of Curiosities – William Constable's collection of natural history, geology, antiquities and scientific instruments in the Museum Room, part of which is currently closed for conservation.
• The Stables and Constable Moby – The restored stable block with Huntsman's Office, clock tower and interactive listening posts, and the skeleton of a sperm whale washed ashore in 1825.

Operated by

Burton Constable Foundation

Admission & discounts

2026 prices without Gift Aid; prices with Gift Aid are about 10 per cent higher and include a voluntary donation. Historic Houses Association members are admitted free. An additional charge may be made at Easter and Halloween for children's activities. Entry to the Stables Kitchen and gift shop is free.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The Hall has ramped access at the main entrance, and its ground floor is accessible to wheelchair users; the first floor can be reached by a stair lift for visitors who weigh 17 stone or less and can operate it themselves, and a virtual reality tour of the first floor is shown in the Great Hall. Wheelchairs can be hired free of charge. The grounds are mainly gravel and uneven in places, and the first stable courtyard has an uneven cobbled surface, though the ground floor of the stables is accessible with care. An accessible toilet and baby changing are in the first stable courtyard. Blue Badge spaces are in the main car park next to the ramped access to the ticket desk, gift shop and tea room, and in front of the Hall (not on some event days). Audio induction loops are at the ticket desk, the Great Hall reception and the Stables Kitchen counter. Assistance dogs are welcome in the Hall.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly: not available
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area

Families can borrow Explorer Bags for young children, use I Spy cards and object handling boxes, and visit a children's dress-up room. There is an undercover imaginative play area in the first stable courtyard and a small outdoor play area, as well as two wildlife and waymarker trails of just under 3 km (trail sheets 30p). Large prams, pushchairs and back carriers cannot be taken around the Hall and must be left in the entrance hall; front slings and toddler reins can be borrowed there.

Getting there & parking

Burton Constable is in Holderness, 10 miles north-east of Hull and 15 miles east of Beverley, and signposted by Historic House signs. Motorcyclists may prefer the tarmac drive to the south of the main drive, signposted to the Estate Offices. Route 65 of the Trans Pennine Trail passes a few miles away.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

The Stables Kitchen serves light lunches, cakes and afternoon teas, is open daily 10am to 4pm (last food orders at 3pm), and has a Doggy Dining Room. It is breastfeeding friendly and happy to warm baby food. The gift shop is in the stable block, and the ticket desk is inside it.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Spaces include the Hall, the Orangery with its lawn, the stable block, the Barn (the former riding school) and the grounds, for weddings, parties and corporate events.

Plan your visit