Kelmarsh Hall
Brick-built elegant, eighteenth-century country house.
Main Road, Kelmarsh, Northampton, NN6 9LY
Facilities
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Accessible loos
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Accessible parking
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Cafe / restaurant
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Easily accessible without car
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Facilities for children
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Free parking
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Mostly wheelchair accessible
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Parkland / open spaces
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Pet friendly
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Picnic area
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Shop
We work hard to ensure that all visitors to Kelmarsh can access as much of the site, with as few restrictions as possible. We reserve space for blue badge parking in front of the visitor centre, and access to the visitor centre is ramped.
We offer a useful orientation map which shows where the location of the assisted access points to the hall and gardens, as well as the disabled toilets and baby changing. It also shows the accessibility of the garden pathways, showing any steps or steep gradients. Many paths in the garden are loose gravel so we recommend that wheelchair users bring a companion to assist them.
Ramps and platform lifts are in place in the Hall to provide almost complete access to the site. We have two platform lifts, one for the main hall and one to provide access to the laundry block and the Learning & Activity Centre. Please ask a member of staff for assistance using the lifts.
Unfortunately, the first floor rooms can only be accessed via a staircase. The laundry tunnel has two steps which may restrict access, but each end can be easily accessed by using the platform lifts.
Built in 1732, successive owners and influences have left their imprint on this elegant Palladian style home.
From noted antiquarian William Hanbury to banker and horse-racing enthusiasts Richard Naylor, each resident’s stories can be found within Kelmarsh Hall; but none more so than Nancy Lancaster, ‘doyenne of the Country House style’, whose unique influence still oozes through the décor and style of Kelmarsh today.
Below Stairs at Kelmarsh, visitors can also experience the stories of the Victorian Servants’ living and working in the old servants quarters, through the old laundry tunnel and into the wet and dry laundry rooms. The perfect place for children to explore as they have a go at polishing silver and looking for the resident ghost.
Upstairs, along with Nancy’s bedroom and the Gentleman’s Suite, visitors can find the ‘Story of Kelmarsh’ exhibition featuring a timeline of Kelmarsh’s history and items from the Kelmarsh archive.
The Hall is surrounded by its working estate, grazing parklands and Grade II listed gardens. Boasting a distinctive Walled Garden, Sunken Garden, topiary and rose gardens, woodlands, lake and herbaceous borders – all designed principally by Nancy Lancaster, with Norah Lindsay and landscape architect Geoffrey Jellicoe.
The informal, feminine designs laid out by Nancy are welcoming throughout the year, and are celebrated for their dizzying array of dahlias in late summer.
For children there is a fairy walk located in the woodland, and a moo trail to enjoy around the Hall.
In the visitor centre, visitors can find the stable yard giftshop, and Sweet Pea’s Tearoom serving lunches, hot drinks and cakes. Pre-bookable afternoon teas also available.
Please note: The information on the Historic Houses website is advisory, but please always check the website of the house or garden you intend to visit before travelling.
31st March – 29th September 2024
Hall and Gardens open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and some bank holiday Mondays 10am – 4pm, last entry 3pm
Gardens open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday and some bank holiday Mondays 10am – 4pm, last entry 3pm
Please check the website before visiting for the most up to date opening days and hours
Historic Houses members visit for free.
Adult Admission
House and Gardens: £12 Gardens Only: £8
Concession Admission
House and Gardens: £11 Gardens Onl: £7
Children Admission
House and Gardens: £6.50 Gardens Only: £4.50
Kelmarsh welcomes pre-arranged group visits – usual admission prices apply, and can be booked by emailing visitors@kelmarsh.com
We welcome groups throughout the season, where there is much to discover during a day’s visit. Enjoy listening to the stories about the history of the occupants and the contents, or enjoy the hall and gardens at your own pace.
There are a number of different visits you can book:
- Visit to the hall and Gardens (unguided)
- A tour of the hall (specific weekdays only)
- Visit to the gardens
- Guided garden tour
Groups must be a minimum of 15 people but please note we request that all groups whatever size, contact us in advance so that we can offer you the best experience.
Kelmarsh’s Hall volunteer guides take you around the Hall, room to room brining the history of Kelmarsh to life. Or enjoy a tour with our Head Gardener for those interested in the historic gardens.
Bespoke packages including refreshments can be provided.
School visits welcome, please email visitors@kelmarsh.com.
Foundation Stage
Growing in the Gardens: Our trained garden education volunteers deliver an active session where children learn about how plants grow from seeds to flowers/food, linking with the life-cycles element of the current curriculum. Complimented by a visit to our gardens, we offer a range of opportunities to plant, monitor, draw and eat to help develop awareness of how seasons and life cycles impact plant growth.
KS1, KS2
Discovering the History of the Country House: Through a range of activities such as cooking, craft, listening and looking, problem solving and object handlings, students will learn about place, people objects and events in history. They will discover how ideas, technologies, beliefs and attitudes have changed over the centuries; all linking with current QCA and other history and D&T Curriculum specifications. Programmes focusing on Science, Art and Design and History are developed for sessions in our recently restored laundry and servants quarters.
We work hard to ensure that all visitors to Kelmarsh can access as much of the site, with as few restrictions as possible. We reserve space for blue badge parking in front of the visitor centre, and access to the visitor centre is ramped.
We offer a useful orientation map which shows where the location of the assisted access points to the hall and gardens, as well as the disabled toilets and baby changing. It also shows the accessibility of the garden pathways, showing any steps or steep gradients. Many paths in the garden are loose gravel so we recommend that wheelchair users bring a companion to assist them.
Ramps and platform lifts are in place in the Hall to provide almost complete access to the site. We have two platform lifts, one for the main hall and one to provide access to the laundry block and the Learning & Activity Centre. Please ask a member of staff for assistance using the lifts.
Unfortunately, the first floor rooms can only be accessed via a staircase. The laundry tunnel has two steps which may restrict access, but each end can be easily accessed by using the platform lifts.
Getting here
Main Road, Kelmarsh, Northampton, NN6 9LY
Arriving by road:
FROM THE A14 (FOR THE M1 AND M6)
Take the exit at Junction 2, and head north towards Market Harborough. Kelmarsh is 500m north from the A14, taking the left turn from the crossroads.
FROM THE A508
The entrance to the hall is located on the main A508 road, 5 miles south of Market Harborough and 11 miles north of Northampton.
Arriving by Public Transport:
Kelmarsh is easily accessible by public transport, with two nearby train stations. Northampton Station has regular trains to London Euston and Birmingham New Street and Market Harborough Station has regular trains to London St Pancras and Nottingham.
There is a regular bus service (Stagecoach X7) which runs from Leicester to Milton Keynes, via Market Harborough and Northampton, which stops outside the entrance.
Why our members love visiting Kelmarsh Hall
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