Burton Agnes Hall facts for kids
Burton Agnes Hall is a beautiful old house in the village of Burton Agnes, near Driffield in Yorkshire, England. It's an "Elizabethan manor house," which means it was built a long time ago, between 1601 and 1610, during the time of Queen Elizabeth I. Sir Henry Griffith had it built, and a famous architect named Robert Smythson probably designed it.
Right next door, there's an even older house called the Burton Agnes Manor House. It was built way back in 1173! Both of these amazing buildings are now "Grade I listed," meaning they are super important and protected because of their history and beauty.
Exploring Burton Agnes Hall
Burton Agnes Hall looks like a big square block with lots of bay windows. These are windows that stick out from the wall. The front of the house is especially fancy, with many windows and different shaped bays. Some bays are square, some are half-circles, and some have five sides! The roofline is also interesting, with pointy gables mixed with flat edges.
One cool part of the house is the Long Gallery. It's a very long room on the second floor that runs across the entire front of the house. The ceiling in this gallery is shaped like the inside of a wagon and has lots of detailed plaster designs.
Even though the house has been changed over the years, many original parts from the 1600s are still there. You can see amazing carved wood, fancy plasterwork, and even decorations made from alabaster (a soft, white stone). One special alabaster decoration above a fireplace shows a scene from a famous story called the "Parable of the Ten Virgins." This picture was inspired by a work from a famous artist named Pieter Bruegel the Elder.
The architect, Robert Smythson, had a big influence on the design. However, the house as it was built has some differences from his original plans. For example, some of the bay windows ended up being half-circles instead of five-sided. This shows that building a big house back then was a team effort, with ideas changing along the way!
Fun in the Gardens!
The gardens at Burton Agnes Hall are a fantastic place to explore! They have over 3,000 different kinds of plants. They even have a special collection of Campanula flowers.
The walled flower garden is really unique because it has a "games" theme. There's a giant chess board made of black and white paving stones. You can also find areas for other games like draughts, snakes and ladders, and hoop toss. Each game area is surrounded by plants chosen for their beautiful flower colors.
There's also a market garden area where you can see seasonal vegetables growing in a pretty way. All around the grounds, you'll spot fun and quirky statues. Different artists show their work in the gardens and galleries throughout the year. If you visit in February, the woodland walk is famous for its huge display of white snowdrop flowers.
Both the old Elizabethan house and the even older manor house ruins are open for people to visit all year.
A Long History
The land where Burton Agnes Hall stands has been owned by the same family for a very long time. It all started in 1173 when Roger de Stuteville built the first manor house there. Later, in 1457, the Griffith family came to live on the estate.
The current Elizabethan house was built by Sir Henry Griffith between 1601 and 1610. His daughter, Frances Griffith, inherited the estate. She married Sir Matthew Boynton. When she passed away, the estate went to their son, Francis.
There's a famous legend about the house: people say that the skull of Sir Henry's youngest daughter, Anne, is hidden inside the Great Hall. The story goes that it's a "screaming skull" and will always return to the house if anyone tries to take it away!
Later, the house passed through different family members. At one point, a man known as "Handsome Jack" neglected the estate.
In 1899, the house went to a daughter who had married Thomas Lamplugh Wickham. Their son, Marcus Wickham Boynton, ran a very successful horse breeding farm there for many years. When he died in 1989, he left the property to a young cousin, Simon Cunliffe-Lister, who was only twelve years old at the time.
Today, the estate is looked after by the Burton Agnes Preservation Trust. Simon Cunliffe-Lister and his mother help manage it.
Did you know a train engine was named Burton Agnes Hall? You can even see it preserved at the Didcot Railway Centre!
