Photo: Duncombe Park by Kognos, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
About this place
Duncombe Park stands a mile southwest of Helmsley, above the meanders of the River Rye in the North York Moors National Park.
It has been the seat of the Duncombe family since the early 18th century.
The estate runs to hundreds of acres of parkland and includes a celebrated 18th-century landscape garden known as the Terraces.
The house itself remains closed to visitors, but the gardens and parkland walks open seasonally.
Read more on WikipediaHistory
The house was completed in 1713 for Thomas Duncombe, born Thomas Brown, to designs by the Yorkshire gentleman-architect William Wakefield. Sir Charles Barry remodelled it in 1843. A fire gutted the main block in 1879 and William Young rebuilt it in 1895, largely following the original plan. The family held the title Earls of Feversham until it became extinct in 1963, after which they continued as Barons Feversham.
Architecture
The house is a two-storey design over a basement and attic, originally built in 1713 and reconstructed to a near-original pattern by William Young after the 1879 fire, following Sir Charles Barry's 1843 remodelling.
Worth knowing
The estate is home to the International Centre for Birds of Prey.
Gardens & grounds
The Terraces, an 18th-century landscape garden with parkland walks, form the main visitor draw and are open seasonally between April and August.
Facilities
Plan your visit
Nearest station: Pickering (North Yorkshire Moors Railway) (12 miles)
Gardens and parkland open seasonally; house closed to public. Check official website for current dates.
Nearby properties
Historic places nearby
Within 5 miles of Duncombe Park there are 6 historic properties, including 4 historic buildings, across English Heritage, National Trust and Historic Houses sites.
Within 10 miles of Duncombe Park there are 9 historic properties, including 4 historic buildings, 2 churchs and 2 historic houses, across English Heritage, Churches Conservation Trust and Historic Houses sites.
Within 20 miles of Duncombe Park there are 33 historic properties, including 12 historic buildings, 10 historic houses and 5 churchs, across English Heritage, Historic Houses and Churches Conservation Trust sites.
Facts
An 18th-century landscape garden and a house twice rebuilt after fire, still held by the family that built it.
- Type
- historic house
- Location
- North Yorkshire, England
Get Hidden Britain
A free weekly newsletter on Britain's overlooked historic places.