Beningbrough Hall

Over het museum

Beningbrough Hall was completed around 1716 for the young John Bourchier and his wife Mary, who had come into a family estate in North Yorkshire and a large fortune through marriage. It replaced an older Tudor house and was built by the Yorkshire carpenter-architect William Thornton and a team of skilled craftsmen. The hall is a fine example of Yorkshire Baroque, mixing French and Italian ideas with English building traditions, and its famous cantilever staircase and richly carved interiors still show the quality of the work. Bourchier had visited Italy on a Grand Tour, and some details are thought to echo what he saw in Rome.

Later owners included the Earles, who spent heavily, went bankrupt in 1778 and later developed the gardens, including the walled garden of 1792, and then the Dawnay family. During the Second World War the house was used by aircrews. After the death of Lady Chesterfield in 1957 no relative wished to take on the costly property, and it passed to the National Trust through the Treasury, with only a small collection of contents.

In the late 1970s major investment in visitor facilities and a long partnership with the National Portrait Gallery brought new audiences to the hall and gardens. Today the ground floor shows historic rooms with key objects from the collection, and the first-floor Reddihough Galleries host a changing programme of art exhibitions inspired by the building and its landscape. The eight-acre garden, walled kitchen garden and parkland complete a visit.

Hoogtepunten

• Early 18th-century Yorkshire Baroque house with a floating cantilever staircase
• Historic ground-floor rooms with carved woodwork and Great Hall
• Reddihough Galleries with changing art exhibitions
• Eight acres of gardens including a walled kitchen garden
• Wilderness play area with a pyramid tower and den zone
• Parkland and riverside walks

Vaste collectie

• Historic rooms – Ground-floor rooms including the Great Hall, dining room and cantilever staircase, with displays of key collection objects telling the story of the house and its people.

Opgericht

1716

Beheerder

National Trust

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

Prices are for house, gallery and gardens in 2026 without Gift Aid; with Gift Aid the adult price is £17.60, child £8.80 and family £44. Free entry for National Trust members and under-5s. The National Trust page also names other accepted passes, including RHS membership, Yorkshire's Great Houses, Castles and Gardens cards, the Max Card and the Visit York Pass.

Toegankelijkheid

• Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

The garden is largely accessible. There is a lift in the hall and galleries, level access to the shop and food outlet, an induction loop, large print guides, seating, designated parking and a drop-off point. Corridors in the hall are narrow. Wheelchairs and powered mobility vehicles can be borrowed but should be pre-booked on +44 1904 472004. An accessible route map is available to download, and a full access guide is published on AccessAble.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
• Doe- en voelstations
• Verschoonruimte
• Speeltuin / speelhoek

Wilderness play area with a 7-metre pyramid tower and slide, a zone for smaller children and a den zone. School-holiday trails and craft days are included in admission. Baby changing is by the shop and in the laundry courtyard. Visitors are asked to leave prams at the hall entrance, where hip seats and baby slings can be borrowed; parkland paths can be uneven and muddy in wet weather.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

Signposted off the A19 and A59 (over a toll bridge); follow the brown signs rather than satnav. Cars come via Newton-on-Ouse village, larger vehicles follow coach signs. Bicycle racks are next to the ticket area, and a footpath runs from York along the River Ouse (10 miles).

Service & horeca

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museumwinkel

Walled garden restaurant open the same hours as the garden, a brew house by the play area, a takeaway hatch on busy days, a gift shop, a plant shop and a bookshop in the hall library. Picnic areas in the laundry courtyard and garden.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

Je bezoek plannen