Kiplin Hall Houses

Kiplin Hall stands near the River Swale in the beautiful Vale of Mowbray, between the Yorkshire Dales and the North Yorkshire Moors. The Hall was built as a hunting lodge in the early 1620s for George Calvert, Secretary of State to James I, later the 1st Lord Baltimore and the founder of Maryland, USA.

Its design was unique in Jacobean architecture, with central domed towers on each side of a tall symmetrical pavilion in mellow red brick. Four families linked by marriage owned Kiplin for almost four centuries, increasing the estate, making changes to the building, and adding to its collections of fine paintings and furniture. Recent restoration work has brought the Hall back to life as a comfortable and welcoming Victorian family home.

George Calvert, Secretary of State to King James I, built Kiplin Hall in the early 1620s as a hunting lodge. He was born at Kiplin, where his father leased land, and bought the estate in 1619.

Calvert followed the latest fashions in architecture, using red brick rather than Yorkshire stone to construct a tall, compact, symmetrical, country house. To add interest to the faade, the builder incorporated diamond-shaped 'diapering' in blue-black bricks. Kiplin has four towers, unusually one in the centre of each wall, rather than at each corner. The north and south towers originally contained staircases, while the east and west towers give extra space inside. Each floor of the Hall had two symmetrical rooms on either side of the long central room between the east and west towers, but this layout changed as the house was altered inside.

Kiplin Hall - 1625 floor plan

In 1722, Christopher Crowe bought Kiplin Hall from his stepson Charles Calvert, 5th Lord Baltimore. Crowe added a service wing to the north of the Hall, put in a fine central staircase, and installed fashionable Georgian fireplaces and plasterwork in the rooms. In 1820, Lord and Lady Tyrconnel (Sarah Crowe and her husband John Delaval Carpenter) added a wing to the south containing a Gothic-style drawing room. When Admiral Walter Talbot inherited Kiplin from his cousin, he changed this room into the Jacobean-style library of today and made improvements to the service wing and grounds. The crest above the front door is that of the Carpenter family, with their motto 'per acuta belli' by the strategems of war, probably a reference to their naval background. In the 1970s, some of the service wing was demolished and the north tower restored.

HOW TO FIND US

Kiplin Hall is off the B6271 between Scorton and Northallerton, just 5 miles east of the A1, between the beautiful North Yorkshire Moors and Yorkshire Dales.

2004 OPENING TIMES

9-12 April (Easter), daily 2-5 pm

May and September, Sundays, Tuesdays and Bank Holidays 2-5 pm

June/July/August, Sundays to Wednesdays 2-5 pm

2004 ADMISSION CHARGES

Adult £4.00

Concession £3.00

Child £2.00

ACCESS

The ground floor, including the Shop and Tea Room, is accessible to visitors in wheelchairs. An album of photographs of the first and second floors is available at the Reception Desk.

A large print version of the 'Kiplin Hall Brief Tour' (self-guided) is available.

GROUP VISITS

Pre-booked group visits welcomed April to December, including evenings. Guided tour of the Hall, choice of refreshments. Please telephone 01748 818178 or email [email protected] for information and bookings.

VISITOR SERVICES

Car Park, Shop, Tea Room, Gardens, Woodland Walk, Picnic Area, Lake Fishing, Toilets.

INFORMATION FOR FAMILIES

Free and fun-to-do 'Kiplin Creatures' children's trail, seeking the numerous animals and birds to be found throughout the Hall including the stuffed crocodile!