Sledmere House

About the museum

Sir Richard Sykes began the present Sledmere House in 1751 after demolishing an older manor house on the site. His son Sir Christopher Sykes, 2nd Baronet, greatly extended the house and redecorated it in the 1790s, working with the architect Samuel Wyatt, and had the surrounding park laid out to a design by Capability Brown. The Sykes family grew wealthy through trade at Hull and made Sledmere the centre of an estate of nearly 30,000 acres.

In 1911 a fire gutted the house and destroyed most of its 1790s interiors. Villagers and estate workers saved many of the contents, and the house was later restored from surviving designs. Visitors can see plasterwork by Joseph Rose and furniture by Chippendale, Hepplewhite and Sheraton, as well as paintings and furnished state rooms, among them the Long Library and the Turkish Room.

The house is still lived in by the Sykes family, who have owned it for more than 250 years. It is open on guided tours on selected dates. The estate also has an 18th-century walled garden, a deer park, a farm park, a café and a farm shop.

Highlights

• Georgian house with Edwardian rebuilding after the fire of 1911
• Plasterwork by Joseph Rose and furniture by Chippendale, Hepplewhite and Sheraton
• Long Library and Turkish Room
• 18th-century walled garden and deer park
• Free adventure playground and farm park

Permanent exhibition

• Guided house tour – A guided visit through the furnished rooms, showing the art, plasterwork, furniture and more than 250 years of family history.

Admission & discounts

The farm shop, café, farm and adventure playground are free to enter. Prices for the house tours and the parkland and gardens are shown when booking on the website and are not published on the visit page.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Playground / play area

A free adventure playground with a zip wire, climbing frames and basket swings, and a farm park with horses, goats, chickens and sheep. Seasonal family events include lambing, deer safari weekends, Halloween and Santa experiences.

Getting there & parking

Use the postcode YO25 3XG for sat nav. What3words for the house: storybook.evidently.royal.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

The Coach House Café serves locally sourced meals, breakfast and afternoon teas; the farm shop sells fresh local produce, takeaway sandwiches, barista coffee and Yorkshire-made gifts. A dog-friendly coffee shop is on site.

Events & venue rental

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

Function rooms overlooking the stable block can be hired for parties, celebrations and meetings, with flexible catering. Weddings are held at the house.

Plan your visit