Houses and Gardens of Yorkshire

Surrounded by beautiful North Yorkshire countryside, this World Heritage Site has a lot to offer for a thoroughly enjoyable day out. The magnificent ruins of the once prosperous Fountains Abbey, the largest monastic ruins in the country, sit alongside a Georgian water garden that is sure to delight the senses. This breath-taking landscape is also home to a manor house known as Fountains Hall, Studley Royal medieval deer park, a beautiful Victorian church and Cistercian water-mill.

The House was created as an ambitious statement by the Winn family in the 18th century.  The house showcases interiors by Robert Adam, a world-class Thomas Chippendale collection, a rare 18th century dolls' house, an exquisite painting of Sir Thomas More and his family, one of the first longcase clocks made by the famous inventor, John Harrison and the intricately decorated Hongs punch bowl. Explore 300 acres of parkland and find ancient woodland, wildflower meadows and lakes bustling with birds. Take a walk up to the restored Obelisk Lodge.

Wentworth Castle Gardens is located south west of Barnsley in South Yorkshire.  The estate’s Grade 1 landscape and formal gardens are nationally significant for their extensive monuments, housing some of the earliest gothic follies in the country.  The Pleasure Ground displays layers of garden design characteristic of different periods and fashions, including an early 18th century Union Jack garden, a Victorian flower garden and 20th century collections of rhododendrons, camellias and magnolias.    Restored in 2013, the Victorian conservatory was once at the height of cutting-edge design. Now it’s home to plants from all over the world. Completed by Thomas Wentworth in 1731, Stainborough Castle, a gothic folly is a great spot to enjoy a picnic beneath medieval-style turrets.  

Nunnington Hall is just outside the historic market town of Helmsley in North Yorkshire.  Over the past 450 years this manor house and estate, nestled on the quiet banks of the River Rye, have been altered to suit a succession of owners and tenants. The house you see today is a fascinating combination of renovation and re-purpose, creating an atmospheric and comfortable home. Explore the period rooms whilst hearing the Hall's many tales and discover one of the world's finest collections of miniature rooms in the attic. Famed for its picturesque location, organic walled garden with spring-flowering meadows and flamboyant resident peacocks.

The Treasurer's House in York is a Grade I listed historic house owned by the National Trust, who also maintain its garden. It is located in Minster Yard, directly to the north of York Minster.  Completely rebuilt in a fashionable style in the late 16th century, it even hosted a visit by James I in 1617.

Goddards House and Garden is an Arts and Crafts house in Dringhouses, York. It was built in 1927 for Noel and Kathleen Terry of the famed chocolate-manufacturing family Terry's with the house designed by local architect Walter Brierley and the garden by George Dillistone. From the second you walk under the gatehouse, and leave the busy suburbs of York behind, you feel like you've entered into a secret garden, hidden in plain sight. The garden is divided up into 'garden rooms' as was the Arts and Crafts garden style.  

East Riddlesden Hall was built in 1642 and is now a Grade I listed building. Located on the River Aire, this property boasts beautiful grounds and a medieval tithebarn.