Rokeby Park

About the museum

Rokeby Park is a villa in the Palladian style, designed by the amateur architect Sir Thomas Robinson, who built it in the 1720s and 1730s on land held for centuries by the Rokeby family. An architectural critic has called it one of the purest examples of the neo-Palladian villa. The estate lies in the Greta valley near Barnard Castle in County Durham.

Robinson sold the property in 1769 to John Sawrey Morritt, and the house has remained with his descendants ever since. Anne Morritt, his sister, made the needlework pictures that are among its notable contents. Part of the interior was later designed by John Carr, and the house also contains a print room decorated with eighteenth-century prints.

The poet Sir Walter Scott was a frequent guest of the Morritt family and set his 1812 poem Rokeby in the surroundings. The house was also for a time the English home of Velázquez's painting known as the Rokeby Venus, now in the National Gallery in London, and a copy hangs in the saloon.

The house is a private home and is opened to visitors on a limited number of days each year. Groups can arrange guided tours by appointment.

Highlights

• Neo-Palladian villa designed by Sir Thomas Robinson
• Needlework pictures by Anne Morritt
• Print room with eighteenth-century prints
• Connections to Walter Scott and the Rokeby Venus

Operated by

Morritt family

Admission & discounts

Historic Houses members are admitted free and Art Fund members receive a 25% discount. Pre-booked guided tours, usually for groups of about 15, last around 1.5 hours.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• 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

Wheelchair access is to the ground floor only, which has a toilet. Visitors with limited mobility can park at the front of the house. Dogs are not allowed in the house or grounds except assistance dogs.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

Rokeby Park is near Barnard Castle and Greta Bridge.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit