Kiplin Hall

Kiplin Hall Description

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.

The public view most of the major rooms; like the Hall - this has changed in use and appearance over the centuries. In the 17th and 18th centuries, it was one of the reception rooms. From 1887 to 1904, Admiral Carpenter and his family used it as an informal family sitting and dining room. The Hall is currently used as the Reception, Shop and Tea Room for visitors.

The Drawing Room - In a country house like Kiplin, the Drawing Room displayed the family’s best furniture and paintings. In Georgian times, drawing rooms were formal, but Victorian drawing rooms became increasingly feminine and comfortable, which is how you see it now. Some of the paintings brought back from Italy by Christopher Crowe in the early 18th century still hang in the Drawing Room, including two views of the Entrance to the Grand Canal in Venice. Above the fireplace is Elizabeth Carpenter with her eldest son George, later 3rd Earl of Tyrconnel, painted in about 1795 by Sir William Beechey.

The Library - In 1819, Lord and Lady Tyrconnel built a new room to the south of the Hall for entertaining, reading and making music. A fascinating 1830s print by Sir Gardner Wilkinson shows Kiplin’s ‘New Drawing Room, designed in Wyatville’s Gothic’. In 1887, Admiral Carpenter changed the drawing room into a handsome library with Jacobean-style panelling, and commissioned the fine fireplace and the plasterwork ceiling with the symbols of the Carpenter (cockerell and globe on stand) and Talbot (lion and dragon) families. A portrait of King Charles I hangs above the fireplace. The Erard concert grand piano (not shown) was bought at the Great Exhibition of 1851.

Opening Times - 2012

• 1st April - 31st October: Sunday - Wednesday, 10 am - 5 pm (plus Good Friday and Easter Saturday)
• Kiplin Hall reserves the right to alter opening times and events.
• Please telephone before making a long journey.

Admission Prices - 2012

Hall, Gardens & Grounds:

• Adult - £7.50
• Child - £3.50
• Concession - £6.50
• Family (2+3) - £20.00

Gardens and Grounds:

• Adult - £4.50
• Child - £1.50
• Concession - £3.50
• Family Ticket (2+3) - £10.00

Pre-booked guided tours are available from April to November:

• Adult - £8.50
• Concession - £7.50

Non-guided groups are welcome during normal opening hours:

• Adult - £7.50
• Concession - £6.50

Education Programme for Schools:

• Key Stage I and II programmes on The Victorians; Portraits, Patterns and Materials; WWII - How Children Lived
• Also, Victorian Loan Boxes for schools