Birdsall House is an

English country house image:Blenheim - Blenheim Palace - 20210417125239.jpg, 300px, Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a Townhou ...

Birdsall, North Yorkshire Birdsall is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 180, increasing to 343 at the 2011 Census. The village is about four miles south of Malton, North Yorkshire, Malton and the ...

. It is a

Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. The house dates from the late 16th century but was remodelled in 1749 with addition of second storey (third floor) to the main range. A wing was added in 1776 and a matching right wing added in 1872. It is constructed in

ashlar Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...

with Welsh slate roofs. The central range is a 3-storey, 5-bay building connected to outlying 2-storey 2-bay side wings by single cell units. The house was the first house in England to benefit from a private gas system.

History

The site of the house and its parkland was a monastery estate prior to the Dissolution of the Monasteries by

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

and the original Tudor house was built for the Sotheby family. After Elizabeth Sotherby married Thomas Willoughby the couple converted the house into the larger Georgian style house of today. The estate duly passed into the ownership of the Willoughby family, passing first to Thomas' son

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

, who afterwards inherited from his cousin the title of 5th Baron Middleton, together with other estates at Middleton and

Wollaton Park Wollaton Park is a 500 acre park in Nottingham, England, which includes a deer park. It is centred on Wollaton Hall, a classic Elizabethan prodigy house which contains the Nottingham Natural History Museum, with the Nottingham Industrial Museu ...

, where he actually chose to live. The 8th Baron Middleton, however, chose to live at Birdsall, employing the architect

Anthony Salvin Anthony Salvin (17 October 1799 – 17 December 1881) was an English architect. He gained a reputation as an expert on Middle Ages, medieval buildings and applied this expertise to his new buildings and his restorations, such as those of the ...

to extend the house and eventually dying there in 1877. His son, the 9th Baron likewise preferred Birdsall and likewise died there in 1922. In 1923 the family sold the Middleton and Wollaton estates and thus made Birdsall the sole family seat, which it has remained ever since. James and Cara Willoughby and their family still live and work at Birdsall, using parts of the house and grounds as
luxury wedding
and event venue. In 2024, the family completed a renovation of the ol
Victorian Kitchens
into an exclusive event venue.

References

{{reflist Birdsall, North Yorkshire Country houses in North Yorkshire Grade II* listed buildings in North Yorkshire

History

See also

References