Leighton Hall, Lancashire

About the museum

Leighton Hall stands on the edge of Yealand Conyers in north Lancashire and has been the centre of an agricultural estate since medieval times. In the 17th century it was the seat of the Middleton family. After the Jacobite rising of 1715 its then owner, Albert Hodgson, was imprisoned, and the house was burnt and his possessions seized. In the 1750s the estate passed by marriage to George Towneley, who had the present Georgian house built in 1759-61 to a design by John Hird.

The estate was sold in 1805. In 1822-25 Richard Gillow, grandson of the Lancaster furniture maker Robert Gillow, gave the facade a Gothic look in local white limestone, and in 1870 his descendant Richard Thomas Gillow added a three-storey wing designed by the Lancaster architects Paley and Austin. The Gillow family's furniture workshops were among the best known in 18th- and 19th-century England, and the hall is still associated with them.

The house is Grade II* listed and remains the lived-in home of the Gillow Reynolds family. Visitors take informal guided tours with no roped-off areas, so they can sit on the furniture and handle objects. Outside are a walled garden, a woodland walk with a tree-face trail, an adventure playground and a caterpillar maze, and on open days a birds of prey display is flown. The estate also hosts weddings, car shows and other events, and in 2023 it won the Historic Houses Sustainability Award.

Highlights

• Informal guided tours of a lived-in family home
• Furniture and history of the Gillow furniture-making family
• Walled garden and woodland walk with tree face trail
• Birds of prey display on open days
• Adventure playground and caterpillar maze

Permanent exhibition

• The hall and the Gillow family – Guided tours of the rooms of the lived-in hall, with furniture and stories of the Gillow furniture-making family.

Founded

1765

Operated by

Gillow Reynolds family

Admission & discounts

The standard ticket includes the guided hall tour, the garden and woodland walk and the birds of prey display. Special events may have separate prices. Visitors who arrive on foot, by bike or by public transport are offered two-for-one entry. Parking is free. A local residents' discount card is available.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• 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 ground floor of the hall is accessible by wheelchair, with a ramp at the tour entrance and exit and a few shallow steps with handrails at the house entrance; the first floor is reached only by stairs. The garden and parkland are accessible, and the tea room has step-free access from the garden. The woodland walk suits electric wheelchairs but is not recommended for manual wheelchair users. An accessible toilet is inside the hall and the tea garden toilets have no steps. A wheelchair can be borrowed free of charge if booked in advance. Blue Badge holders can park on the terrace near the front door. Trained assistance dogs are welcome; other dogs are not allowed. The ticket box has a clear window to help visitors with hearing or sight loss.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area

Every child receives a free activity pack on arrival. There is an adventure playground, a caterpillar maze, a bee corner and insect hotel, a tree face trail and brass rubbings in the woods, and extra activities in August, including a craft corner in the studio. A baby-changing facility is in the main hall.

Getting there & parking

The hall is about 10 minutes from junction 35 of the M6 and signposted with brown signs on the A6 between Lancaster and Kendal. Use postcode LA5 9ST, but follow the brown signs once on the A6 because sat navs become inaccurate.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop

Tea rooms serve homemade cakes, traybakes, cream scones and sandwiches, with gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options usually available; afternoon tea vouchers can be booked. The gift shop sells local goods and children's items, and a plant stall sells plants and garden vegetables.

Events & venue rental

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

The hall and parkland can be hired for weddings, corporate events, learning and filming.

Plan your visit