Gawthorpe Hall

About the museum

Gawthorpe Hall was built around 1600 for the Shuttleworth family and stands on the Burnley road at Padiham. During the English Civil War it was a target for Royalist forces. In the 1850s the architect Sir Charles Barry renovated the house for the later Kay-Shuttleworth family, and it is now listed Grade I.

The Kay-Shuttleworths lived here in the Victorian period, and historic rooms show what life was like for the family in that time. Charlotte Brontë visited the family, who introduced her to the writer Elizabeth Gaskell. A tower-shaped building on three floors, the hall has a central staircase and a long gallery, and a display from the Gawthorpe Textiles Collection is shown in cabinets on its collection floor.

The National Trust owns the hall and leases it to Lancashire County Council, whose museum service runs the day-to-day visitor operation; the Trust also looks after the estate buildings, including the Great Barn and the courtyard café. Around the house are more than 50 acres of formal gardens, woodland, a hidden walled garden and a natural play area, and the grounds are open to walk in all year.

Highlights

• Elizabethan tower house built around 1600 and renovated by Sir Charles Barry
• Victorian rooms of the Kay-Shuttleworth family
• Display from the Gawthorpe Textiles Collection
• Hidden walled garden, formal gardens and woodland
• Natural play area in the woodland
• Courtyard café

Permanent exhibitions

• The Hall's Victorian rooms – Historic rooms that show how the Kay-Shuttleworth family lived in the Victorian period.
• Gawthorpe Textiles Collection display – A display of textiles from the Gawthorpe Textiles Collection, shown in cabinets on the collection floor.

Operated by

Lancashire County Council (owned by the National Trust)

Admission & discounts

The £7.00 adult price is for the hall without Gift Aid. National Trust members enter the hall free with a valid membership card, and entry to the gardens and woodland is free. A National Trust Xplorer pass costing £25 is listed on the page. Charges may apply for events.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• 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

There are four steps up to the hall entrance with no ramp, no lift, and a central staircase of 42 steps to the upper floors, with further steps between rooms, so the hall is not suitable for powered wheelchairs. A manual wheelchair can be used in the grounds or on the ground floor. The grounds and courtyard toilets are on level or gravel paths, which can be hard going in wet weather. There is an accessible toilet in the courtyard, an induction loop at reception, Braille and large print guides, and a touch screen tour of the interior rooms. The car park has four marked Blue Badge spaces and a drop-off point can be arranged by telephone. Only assistance dogs are allowed in the hall.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Stroller-friendly: not available
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area

The estate presents itself as great for families, with a natural play area in the woodland, a walled garden and woodland walks. Children under 18 enter free when accompanied by an adult. The hall is not suitable for pushchairs or baby backpacks. The courtyard toilets include baby-changing facilities.

Getting there & parking

From junction 8 of the M65, take the A671 towards Clitheroe and then Padiham, and turn into the estate from Burnley Road through the two stone gateposts. Sat nav postcode BB12 8SD. A car-free route follows the old Habergham Drive from the Kiddrow Lane bus stops, and the Padiham Greenway cycle route (National Cycle Route 685) leads to the estate.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Coat check

Mooch Gawthorpe café in the cobbled courtyard serves hot and cold drinks, light meals, ice cream and snacks. Large bags must be handed in for secure storage before entering the hall. Several picnic areas with tables are in the grounds.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

The Great Barn can be hired for functions; enquiries go to greatbarnenquiries@nationaltrust.org.uk.

Plan your visit