Sion Hill Hall
Designed by ‘Lutyens of the North’ Walter H Brierley, one of the last country houses built in Yorkshire before their great twentieth century decline.
Kirby Wiske, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 4EU
- Accessible parking
- Guide dogs welcome
- Accessible toilets
Wheelchair access to the ground floor only of the house (one shallow step at the entrance which has a ramp if necessary). There is one small step in the gardens, which has a ramp if necessary. Gravelled paths round most of the garden, and reasonably flat.
The house stands on the original site of the 13th century manor of Kirby Wiske which was owned by a branch of the Lascelles family. The manor stood the test of time for over 600 years and changed ownership over the centuries. Owners included; Sir Hugh Smithson, who married Lady Elizabeth Seymour, eventually to be created The 1st Duke of Northumberland in 1784. Joshua Crompton of Esholt Hall whose son Col. Rookes Evelyn Bell Crompton born at the manor in 1845 became a famed brilliant electrical engineer, industrialist and inventor. The 3rd Earl of Harewood’s son, George Edwin Lascelles coincidentally a descendant of Roger de Lascelles who had owned the original manor in 1209 then bought it in 1850. The manor and estate was sold in 1911 to Percy and Ethel Stancliffe, who ordered a condition survey report. Due to faulty internal construction it stated that “it would be necessary to pull the manor down and rebuild”.
The Stancliffe’s commissioned Walter Brierley to design their new home, Sion Hill Hall, which was completed in 1913. The stately home was bought by Hebert William Mawer in 1962. Herbert, a successful Yorkshire businessman who previously lived at Ayton Hall near Stokesley, enjoyed collecting fine art and antiques to furnish Sion, a passion which continued throughout his life. To preserve the collection he established The Herbert William Mawer Charitable Trust, so that the house and its contents would be maintained in perpetuity. Herbert and his wife, Elsie, lived at the house until his death in 1982.
- Accessible parking
- Guide dogs welcome
- Accessible toilets
Wheelchair access to the ground floor only of the house (one shallow step at the entrance which has a ramp if necessary). There is one small step in the gardens, which has a ramp if necessary. Gravelled paths round most of the garden, and reasonably flat.