Goldsborough Hall – the first family home of HRH Princess Mary and the perfect place for a stately stay (now with its own pub – The Tiger Inn)

I was lucky enough to be invited for a look around the historic Goldsborough Hall by the owner Clare Oglesby recently. As well as a grand house and gardens, Clare and her husband had recently purchased the Tiger Inn in nearby Coneythorpe which I was keen to visit.

Goldsborough Hall has a fascinating history. The land where the Hall is based was first mentioned in the Domesday Book and referred to as Godensburg, with Richard de Goldsburgh taking the name of the village and the manor becoming the family home for over 400 years.

In 1596, Richard Hutton a Lawyer in London though originally from Cumbria, bought the lands and started work on the construction of Goldsborough Hall on the current site. Three years later he was appointed to the Council of the North by Queen Elizabeth I then later knighted by King James I becoming acting Lord Chief Justice.

Much of the three storey Hall we see today was built during this period as a fortified manor house with its distinctive red brick and limestone coigns (corner stones of its walls).

The Hall is now a grand bed and breakfast with 16 luxury bedrooms which often hosts society weddings. Many of the original features still exist and add to the charm of the building with the great oak staircase lit by two wonderful mullioned windows being a particular highlight.

Other features of note include the library with its 17^th century oak panelling and its original magnificent painted plasterwork ceiling.

The Dining room is also an interesting room with its massive soapstone fireplace with its two over mantel panels showing scenes from the New Testament (these originate from elsewhere and actually pre-date the Hall).

Whilst Richard Hutton’s son (also a Sir Richard) fought for the King during the English Civil War (being on the losing side against the parliamentarian troops at The Battle of Marston Moor), Goldsborough Hall also has its place in Civil War history. Whilst Richard was away, Edward Whalley, Oliver Cromwell’s cousin occupied the Hall before going on to destroy Knaresborough Castle.

The Byerley Turk

By the late 1600’s the Hall was under the ownership of Robert Byerley, a Captain and later a Colonel in the Dragoon Guards. He acquired the horse, which became his war horse on account of its speed and strength.

The horse became known as The Byerley Turk. It eventually retired to a life of stud at Goldsborough Hall and is now renown as being the eldest of three thorough

-bread stallions from which all thorough-breads in the world today originate from.

The horse died in 1706 and is buried beneath a tree in the grounds. A painting of the horse by John Wooton can be seen on the main staircase.

With the Byerley family having no heirs, in 1761 the Hall was bought by Daniel Lascelles (the younger brother of Edwin Lascelles), a merchant and landowner whose family would later become Earls of Harewood.

Under his ownership the Hall moved into a new phase, being extensively re-modelled by architect John Carr of York and interiors added by Robert Adam, the same pairing used when Edwin Lascelles built Harewood House.

Bays extending to the roof were added with windows on each floor and ballustrades at the top.

A new main entrance was also added to the house, with the Lascelles family crest showing a chained bears head appearing in a stone carved panel above the door.

Other Adam’s features included the decorated cornice and marble fireplace in Princess Mary’s Drawing Room and the decorative columns and cornice in the Dining Room.

The 12 acres of gardens were predominantly laid out at this time by Thomas White the elder, during his time working with famous landscape gardener Capability Brown.

When Daniel died without an heir, the Hall and its lands passed to his brother Edwin and went on to form part of the then 24,000 acre Harewood Estate. Over the next 170 years the estate remained with the Lascelles family, being used as a Dower House for the dowager countess, a hunting lodge and sometimes rented out to others.

Goldsborough’s Royal Connections

In 1922, HRH Princess Mary married Henry Lascelles who was the 6^th Earl of Harewood and who had lived at the Hall as a child. They made Goldsborough their family home before moving to Harewood in the 1930’s after the death of the 5^th Earl.

Princess Mary added new stained glass, firstly on the staircase depicting the union of the Lascelles and the Royal family and then adding stained glass gifted by the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem on the Princess’s visit to the Holy Land.

She also made her mark on the grounds of the Hall by planting a walled terrace and a beech avenue centred around a sundial. This looked onto the Lime Tree Walk where visiting members of the royal family were to plant trees.

King George V and Queen Mary visited Goldsborough Hall a number of times and were part of a party of hundreds who attended the Hall after the Christening of Princess Mary’s son George in 1923.

Sadly the 6^th Earl would die in 1947, leaving the family with massive death duties. The Hall had been used as a school during the 2^nd world war and was privately sold to the Boyer family who ran Oatlands School from the site up until 1961. The Hall would later pass between private owners and became a nursing home between 1983 and 2003.

As buyers were sought, the house remained derelict for over two years without heating or maintenance and extensive damage had been caused.

In 2005, the Hall was saved from developers and bought by Clare and Mark Oglesby, who set about restoring the home. Key challenges included repointing 15 miles of brickwork with lime mortar and restoring a waterlogged Robert Adam ceiling in Princess Mary’s bedroom.

Clare and Mark are passionate about preserving the Hall’s history for future generations and as well as turning the building back into a private family residence with their children, have also turned the Hall into a luxury place to stay and wedding venue.

The Hall now has a Head Chef and full kitchen team, having 3 AA Rosettes for its dining and has been listed in the Michelin Guide.

They have also worked wonders with the gardens which had been neglected for over three years before they arrived. What they have achieved over twenty years has been a miracle and the gardens were re-opened for the National Gardens Scheme in 2010 (having been originally opened as part of the scheme by Princess Mary in 1928!).

The Hall has 16 luxury rooms and guests can take a traditional afternoon tea on the terrace or take a walk in the award winning gardens. It really is a perfect location for a stately stay and I am sure that my American guests maybe better suited to stay here closer to The Yorkshire Dales than hotel’s in York.

I took a look at some of the rooms and suites - the Presidential suite being particularly impressive with its sunken bath overlooking the parkland.

The Royal suite with its four poster bed and large bathroom with circular jacuzzi bath is also full of historical charm

After touring the Hall and Gardens with Clare Oglesby, I was taken for lunch at their recently purchased Tiger Inn, just down the road and across the A59 in Coneythorpe. In a past life I used to take clients for lunch at the pub so I was intrigued as to how it would have changed.

The Tiger Inn, Coneythorpe

It is a great little traditional country pub, set on the village green in the picturesque village of Coneythorpe. The pub opens on a Monday which more and more pubs are not (although closed on a Tuesday & Wednesday) and offers lunches or evening meals.

The pub had a community feel and the colours inside were both warm and relaxing. We sat in a light, comfortable bay in the window and ordered our drinks from a comprehensive drinks menu with local ales, wines and spirits.

The menu for food looked interesting, with an evening three course a la carte menu and a hearty Sunday lunch menu. The pub has speciality nights such as Friday Parmo night – the hot shot parmo would have been a must for me if it had a been Friday! They also have a Sizzler night on Thursday with dishes like surf and turf, teriyaki salmon and steak or chicken fajitas.

As it was a Monday lunchtime I went for a lighter meal, even though I was tempted with the hearty Pie of the Day which I saw being delivered to someone else’s table.

The Ploughman’s was quite small but made a good lunchtime lite bite with local cheese and ham and a half a pork pie.

Clare had the homemade soup of the day which also looked good.

I think the pub makes a great addition to the Goldsborough portfolio and I plan to come back with my wife and daughter for Parmo night soon!.