The 20 best historic houses and gardens in Yorkshire

Allerton Castle is one of England’s most elegant and illustrious gothic revival stately homes. Allerton Castle is a beautifully preserved relic of the early modern aristocracy and a stunning venue for weddings and events as well as a dramatic TV and film location.

Built by the premier Baron of England, Lord Mowbray, Segrave and Stourton in the 1840s, this stately home is steeped in history.

Bolton Castle in Wensleydale provides a huge range of exciting things to do in Yorkshire. From family days out to educational trips and historic tours you will find a raft of sights, sounds and smells which bring the castle to life and make for a truly memorable trip.

Bolton Castle is one of the country’s best preserved medieval castles; originally built as one of the finest and most luxurious homes in the land, the castle bears the scars of over 600 years of fascinating history.

Brockfield Hall is only six miles from York, but is in parkland little changed from when Benjamin Agar built the farm and walled-garden in 1799 and his house in 1804. The architect was Peter Atkinson, partner of John Carr of York, and a feature is the entrance hall with a fine cantilevered staircase.

Brockfield was bought in 1951 by Lord Martin Fitzalan Howard and the current owner, Mrs. Simon Wood, is his eldest daughter.

Goldsborough Hall, built in the 1620s, is  renowned for its Jacobean architecture and magnificent Robert Adam interiors.

The privately owned stately home stands in its own beautifully landscaped grounds with unspoilt elevated views over its historic gardens. Built for Sir Richard Hutton, the acting Lord Chief Justice, the hall was later remodelled in the 1750s by the eminent architects Robert Adam and John Carr of York. The house came to fame in the 1920s as the former residence of HRH Princess Mary (the Queen’s aunt), who lived here following her marriage to Viscount Lascelles (later the 6th earl of Harewood).

Kiplin Hall is the delightful Jacobean country seat of George Calvert, founder of Maryland and 1st Lord Baltimore. The award-winning Hall is now shown as a comfortable Victorian home, with centuries of the belongings of its previous owners.

The collections contain furniture from the 17th to the 19th centuries, and numerous family portraits and paintings by artists such as Joachim Beuckelaer, Luca Carlevarijs, Angelica Kauffman, Lady Waterford and G.F. Watts. There are also many Arts and Crafts pieces.

From the first glimpse of the Hall from between the farm buildings, to the moment the Medieval Courtyard opens up as visitors pass beneath the Tudor Gatehouse, Markenfield never fails to astound.

The earliest part of the house was built circa 1210, and this was enlarged by Canon John de Markenfield, who received a Licence to Crenellate the Hall on 28 February 1310, resulting in the distinctive outline that you see to this day.

Newby Hall is one of England’s renowned Adam houses. In the 1760s William Weddell, an ancestor of the current owners, acquired a magnificent collection of ancient Roman sculpture and Gobelins tapestries.

He commissioned Robert Adam to alter the original Wren-designed house, and Thomas Chippendale to make furniture. The result is a perfect example of the Georgian ‘Age of Elegance’ with the atmosphere and ambience of a family home.

Norton Conyers has a special atmosphere, resulting from almost 400 years of occupation by the same family.  Recent excavations have shown that the house’s origins are Anglo-Saxon.

Notable visitors to Norton Conyers have included Charles I, James II and Charlotte Bronte, with who we have close links.  A family legend inspired her mad Mrs Rochester and the house gave her ideas for “Thornfield Hall”.

Parcevall Hall Gardens are a renowned historic plantsman’s garden laid out from 1927 onwards by the late Sir William Milner and set in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Comprising of 24 acres of formal and woodland gardens they rise up a hillside for 200 feet giving wonderful views in every direction. Planted with specimens from around the world, many collected from Western China and the Himalayas.

Ripley Castle and Gardens is situated 3 miles from Harrogate in North Yorkshire on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

The Castle Gardens and Parkland are open to the public all year round, the Castle is viewed by guided tour only April to October; a visit to the Estate makes for a fascinating and entertaining day out.

Scampston Hall, home to Christopher & Miranda Legard and their family, is one of the finest examples of a regency country house in North Yorkshire.

The first house was built around 1700 and was remodelled to a design by Thomas Leverton in 1795-1800. This is the house as you see it today, with its magnificent Regency interiors and art collection.