Burton Agnes Hall and Gardens
Yorkshire
Burton Agnes, Driffield

Burton Agnes Hall is unique: it is a truly magnificent stately house that is also a warm and wonderful home.

Burton Agnes Hall is a glorious example of Elizabethan architecture; built between 1598 and 1610 by Sir Henry Griffith, it has stayed in his family for more than four centuries.

The family’s passion for collecting and commissioning art has created an impressive and unusual collection including many French Impressionist paintings, tapestries, contemporary furniture and striking modern pieces.

This impressive stately home is now in the care of Simon Cunliffe-Lister, his wife Olivia and their three young children Islay (four years’ old), Joss (two) and Otis (four months), who welcome visitors with relish.

Burton Agnes Hall at once provides the setting for a busy, varied calendar of events including a celebrated Jazz and Blues Festival, and the rigours of family life.

Simon Jenkins, author of ‘England’s Thousand Best Houses’, described Burton Agnes Hall as ‘the perfect English house’ and as one of England’s twenty finest houses alongside Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace and Chatsworth House. The many thousands of visitors who enjoy the Hall every year appear to agree with these sentiments.

Outside there is much to explore. The old Elizabethan walled garden is an award-winning wonderland (winner of the 2005 HHA Christies Garden of the Year award) containing over four thousand different plants, a potager filled with herbs, fruit and vegetables, herbaceous borders, giant board games, a maze, a jungle garden and a national collection of campanulas.

To the north of the house is a serene woodland with wildlife sculptures to find whilst walking; in February the ground is carpeted with a breathtaking display of snowdrops and at Easter this is the site of a vigorous Easter Egg Hunt.

Whilst strolling in the gardens, visitors may also discover an artist seeking inspiration for a new creation. Throughout the year, diverse artists sit in residence at Burton Agnes. Visitors are invited to view their artwork in the Summer House and inside the Hall.

Many treats await visitors in the courtyard. In the cafe, visitors can enjoy homemade meals using fresh produce from the gardens and indulgent treats. The Hall’s ‘Home and Garden’ Shop and Gift Shop are brimming with fun and original gifts and dried flowers from the walled garden as well as seasonal and Yorkshire-made produce including fresh fruit and vegetables from the garden.

Visitors will also find a broad range of home grown plants, all propagated from the gardens; indeed it is possible to recreate something of the award winning gardens at Burton Agnes Hall at home! The Courtyard Artist Gallery offers an array of exciting exhibitions by local artists and is open throughout the year for visitors to view and purchase art.

Burton Agnes Hall also hosts a full and wide-ranging calendar of events throughout the year. This includes a Snowdrop Spectacular, Orchid Festival, Classic Car Rally, Easter Egg Hunt, Gardeners’ Fair, Jazz and Blues Festival, Summer Family Fete, Michaelmas Fair and a Christmas Opening where visitors will find an array of beautiful handcrafted decorations, both traditional and contemporary, around every corner.