Houghton Hall & Gardens

Houghton Hall is one of the grandest survivors of the Palladian era, built in the 1720s for Britain’s first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole.

It is a showcase of the work of architects James Gibbs and Colen Campbell, complemented by the richly ornamented interiors of William Kent, and furnished to reflect Walpole’s wealth and power. The Hall is the home of the 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, Walpole’s descendent, and his family.

Surrounded by traditional parkland, Houghton has a spectacular herd of white fallow deer. The award winning five acre Walled Garden includes a breath-taking double-sided herbaceous border, a formal rose parterre, and a rustic temple designed by Julian and Isabel Bannerman.

Time Horizon, one of Sir Antony Gormley’s most spectacular large-scale installations, is being shown throughout the 2024 season. The show features 100 life-size sculptures installed at the same datum level – some partially buried, some on columns – to create a single horizontal plane across the 300-acre parkland.

From 12 May – 29 September, one of the world’s most revered ceramic artists, Dame Magdalene Odundo, presents an exhibition of sculptures made and sited in response to the state rooms. The group of new works will be positioned in the great Stone Hall, while early works create resonant dialogues with the William Kent-designed interiors.

Other contemporary sculptures on display in the grounds include works by Sean Scully, Rachel Whiteread, Stephen Cox, Phillip King, Anish Kapoor, Anya Gallaccio, James Turrell, Jeppe Hein, and Richard Long.

The interior of the imposing stables building was as carefully considered as the house, with superbly constructed brick vault ceilings supported on timber pillars. The Stables were planned to house eighty horses of different qualities, the most valuable having their own stalls, whilst the coach horses would share.

The stable block also houses the Model Soldier Museum, which holds The Cholmondeley Collection of Soldiers, one of the largest private collections in the world, the gift shop and the café.