Goldsborough Hall

Last updated • 5 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Goldsborough Hall GoldsboroughHall.JPG
Goldsborough Hall

Goldsborough Hall is a Jacobean stately home located in the village of Goldsborough, North Yorkshire, England. It is a member of the Historic Houses Association. The house itself is a Grade II* listed building. The Hall was built for Sir Richard Hutton (1560–1639) after he acquired the Goldsborough Estate in 1598, and in the 20th century it was home to Princess Mary, Countess of Harewood as her first family home.

Contents

The original building still stands and is now a hotel and restaurant. The Hall and gardens are only open to the public on certain days in the year.

History

The house was built from 1598 to 1625 for Sir Richard Hutton, a prominent lawyer in London, who became High Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1623. On his death, in 1639, the Hall passed to his son, also called Sir Richard Hutton. Sir Richard Hutton, the younger had been knighted by Charles I in 1625 and became one of two MPs for Knaresborough. He was High Sheriff of Yorkshire and Governor of Knaresborough Castle when the English Civil War broke out. During the Civil War, the house was forcibly occupied by Oliver Cromwell's army in 1644 while they besieged Knaresborough Castle. Sir Richard Hutton, the younger fought at the battle of Marston Moor in 1644 and was killed at Sherburn-in-Elmet in 1645.

The hall passed to the Wharton family when Sir Richard's daughter, Elizabeth, married the Hon Philip Wharton, nephew of Philip Wharton, 4th Baron Wharton. Her sister married Colonel Anthony Byerley of Middridge Grange. Their son Robert Byerley married Elizabeth and Philip's daughter, Mary Wharton in 1695. Robert Byerley was MP for County Durham and represented Knaresborough nine times between 1697 and 1710. He was a soldier and fought at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. Captain (later Colonel) Robert Byerley possessed a fine brown horse, the Byerley Turk, which is the eldest founding father to all thoroughbred horses. The origins of the stallion are the subject of much speculation but it is known that the horse was put at stud at Goldsborough Hall and was buried at the Hall in 1706.

As Robert and Mary Byerley's five children all died without issue, the Hall was sold to Daniel Lascelles about 1760. [1] Under Daniel the house was remodelled by John Carr and Robert Adam while they built Harewood House. When Daniel died without issue, the hall became part of the 24,000-acre Harewood estate. [2] The Hall remained within the Lascelles family for 200 years, being used as Dower House, the heirs-in-waiting house, a hunting lodge, or even rented out when not needed for the viscount, earl in waiting. In the late 19th century the hall was rented out to Sir Andrew Fairbairn, a Liberal MP, while he was building his country house at Askham Grange and the estate at Askham Richards.

HRH Princess Mary

The Hall became the first family home of Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood and Viscount Lascelles, Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood after their marriage in 1922. Their son, George Henry Hubert Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood was christened at the adjoining Goldsborough church on 25 March 1923, the service being attended by King George V and Queen Mary and presided over by Cosmo Lang, the Archbishop of York. The King and Queen visited their daughter and grandchildren George and Gerald Lascelles, and stayed at Goldsborough Hall on many occasions throughout the 1920s.

During the Second World War, Oatlands School, Harrogate (now the site of St Aidan's School) was stationed at the Hall. The owners of the school, the Boyer family, bought Goldsborough Hall from the Harewood estate in 1951. The rest of the village was sold at auction in 1952, ending 1,000 years of the estate village.

In 1966 the school closed and the Hanson family purchased the Hall and its land, reverting the Hall to a private house. Due to ill health, the Hansons had to sell the hall in 1977. It was sold to a Leeds-based developer, West and Sons, who further developed the Hall and, they, in turn sold the Hall to Mrs Elsie Sharpe-Day, who converted the building into a luxury country-house hotel that never opened.

In 1979 the Hall was acquired by Russell Stansfield Smith, who lived in the house as his family home before converting it into a 60-resident, 40-bedroom nursing home that opened in 1983. The Hall became the flagship of a group of nursing homes called Goldsborough Estates. In 1997 BUPA acquired Goldsborough Estates and looked at ways to bring the Hall to meet with modern standards in nursing practice. Due to the historic nature of the building, it was considered to be impractical and the Hall closed as a nursing home in May 2003 and was subsequently advertised for sale.

In 2005 the Hall was acquired by the Oglesby family who once more converted it back to a private family home.

Present day

The Hall required a vast amount of restoration and maintenance after being a nursing home for over 20 years and then empty for a further two years. The main state rooms have been refurbished and the hall now offers guest accommodation with 16 bedrooms and suites. An orangery was built in 2016 in order to host private weddings, corporate functions and events. [3]

Gardens and grounds

Daniel Lascelles employed garden designer Richard Woods (1715–1793) [4] and a plan of improvements was drawn up in 1763, which modified the existing geometric layout recorded in 1738. However, Wood's plans were not implemented as he was replaced by Thomas White [5] (1736–1811) in 1765, an ex-foreman of Capability Brown. White's plan created a new kitchen garden, landscaping around the western side of the hall, parkland to the south towards the Great Wood and the small plantation/pleasure ground to the east of the hall. The gardens and grounds were once again altered by Princess Mary and Viscount Lascelles in the 1920s with the planting of two long herbaceous borders flanked by beech hedges. A 34-tree quarter-mile Lime Tree Walk was planted from 1922 to 1930 when royalty visited including trees planted by Queen Mary and King George V. The gardens, neglected for years, have been replanted in a Gertrude Jekyll style that befits their original creation in the time of Princess Mary. The kitchen garden and glasshouse were built in 2018 supplying the hall's kitchens with fresh produce. The gardens are open to the public and also for two days a year under the National Gardens Scheme.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harewood House</span> Country house in West Yorkshire, England

Harewood House is a country house in Harewood, West Yorkshire, England. Designed by architects John Carr and Robert Adam, it was built, between 1759 and 1771, for Edwin Lascelles, 1st Baron Harewood, a wealthy West Indian plantation and slave owner. The landscape was designed by Lancelot "Capability" Brown and spans 1,000 acres at Harewood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood</span> British princess (1897–1965)

Mary, Princess Royal was a member of the British royal family. She was the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary, the sister of kings Edward VIII and George VI, and aunt of Elizabeth II. In the First World War, she performed charity work in support of servicemen and their families. She married Henry Lascelles, Viscount Lascelles, in 1922. Mary was given the title of Princess Royal in 1932. During the Second World War, she was Controller Commandant of the Auxiliary Territorial Service. The Princess Royal and the Earl of Harewood had two sons, George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood, and Gerald David Lascelles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood</span> British noble and author (1923–2011)

George Henry Hubert Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood, styled The Honourable George Lascelles before 1929 and Viscount Lascelles between 1929 and 1947, was a British classical music administrator and author, and a member of the extended British Royal Family, as a maternal grandson of King George V and Queen Mary, and thus a first-cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. He served as director of the Royal Opera House, chairman of the board of the English National Opera (ENO) (1986–1995); managing director of the ENO (1972–1985), managing director of the English National Opera North (1978–81), governor of the BBC (1985–1987), and president of the British Board of Film Classification (1985–1996).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knaresborough</span> Market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Knaresborough is a market and spa town and civil parish on the River Nidd in North Yorkshire, England. It is three miles east of Harrogate and was in the Borough of Harrogate until April 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl of Harewood</span> Earldom in the Peerage of the United Kingdom

Earl of Harewood, in the County of York, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middridge</span> Village in County Durham, England

Middridge is a village and civil parish in County Durham, England. It is situated east of Shildon and north-west of Newton Aycliffe. The village is situated near a quarry that was mined by the people many generations ago. There is one public house in the village: the Bay Horse. In 2011 the parish had a population of 312.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Carr (architect)</span> English architect (1723–1807)

John Carr (1723–1807) was a prolific English architect, best known for Buxton Crescent in Derbyshire and Harewood House in West Yorkshire. Much of his work was in the Palladian style. In his day he was considered to be the leading architect in the north of England.

Gerald David Lascelles was the younger son of Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood, and Mary, Princess Royal, the only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary. He was a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. He was styled The Honourable Gerald Lascelles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood</span> British soldier, peer and landowner (1882–1947)

Henry George Charles Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood, known by the courtesy title of Viscount Lascelles until 1929, was a British soldier and peer. He was the husband of Mary, Princess Royal, and thus a son-in-law of King George V and Queen Mary and a brother-in-law to kings Edward VIII and George VI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Lascelles, 3rd Earl of Harewood</span> British peer and Member of Parliament

Henry Lascelles, 3rd Earl of Harewood DL, known as Viscount Lascelles from 1839 to 1841, was a British peer and Member of Parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Lascelles, 5th Earl of Harewood</span> British peer

Henry Ulick Lascelles, 5th Earl of Harewood was a British peer and the son of Henry Lascelles, 4th Earl of Harewood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goldsborough, Harrogate</span> Village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Goldsborough is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is situated near the River Nidd and one mile (1.6 km) east of Knaresborough. Goldsborough is recognised by the well-known stately home Goldsborough Hall and its other features including: Goldsborough Primary School, the Bay Horse Inn and the Goldsborough Cricket Grounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Hutton (judge)</span>

Sir Richard Hutton was a Yorkshire landowner, and judge. He defied Charles I over ship money.

Sir Richard Hutton, the younger was a Yorkshire landowner and Member of Parliament for Knaresborough who lost his life in the English Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Fairbairn (politician)</span> British politician (1828–1901)

Sir Andrew Fairbairn was a British Liberal politician.

The Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra (YSO) is an orchestra based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was first active from its establishment in 1947 until its demise in 1955, and then revived in 2021. Initially based in the Leeds Town Hall, it is now based at Yeadon Town Hall, on the outskirts of Leeds. Maurice Miles was the orchestra's Principal Conductor, followed by Nicolai Malko.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Lascelles (1714–1784)</span>

Daniel Lascelles (1714–1784) was a plantation owner, merchant and politician who sat in the British House of Commons from 1752 to 1780.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Byerley</span> English soldier and politician

Robert Byerley (1660–1714), of Middridge Grange, Heighington, County Durham, and Goldsborough, Yorkshire, was an English soldier and Tory politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons between 1685 and 1714. He is credited with capturing the Byerley Turk, a famous stallion considered one of the three major foundation sires of the Thoroughbred breed of race horse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hooton Pagnell Hall</span> Historic building in Hooton Pagnell, England

Hooton Pagnell Hall is a historic house in Hooton Pagnell, near Doncaster, South Yorkshire, occupied by the Warde family since the 18th century.

Florence Lascelles, Countess of Harewood, was the wife of Henry Lascelles, 5th Earl of Harewood and mother of Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewood who married Mary, Princess Royal, the only daughter of King George V.

References

  1. Nikolaus Pevsner, Enid Radcliffe Yorkshire: the West Riding 1968 Penguin
  2. Feist, P. (2011). The House of Goldsborough: Goldsborough: From 6th Century ... Mary Feist. p. 102. ISBN   978-1-105-237539 . Retrieved 8 May 2021. ... heir and the [Goldsborough] Hall and all of its land passed to his brother, to form part of the then 24,000-acre Harewood estate.
  3. Jacob, Liana (10 May 2023). "The history of Yorkshire's 16th century Goldsborough Hall – the former home of Princess Mary". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  4. Richard Woods (1715–1793) Master of the Pleasure Garden by Fiona Cowell, published by Boydell Press
  5. Thomas White: Redesigning the northern British landscape by Deborah Turnbull and Louise Wickham, published by Windgather Press

Books

53°59′57″N1°24′59″W / 53.999065°N 1.416265°W / 53.999065; -1.416265