National Trust Beningbrough Hall and Gardens Review
Beningbrough Hall and Gardens
Reviewed by Tracey Flintham
We visited Beningbrough Hall and Gardens on the 21st June, it was well sign posted from York and took around 15 minutes to get there from the York ring road with a nice drive through the countryside. On arrival there was lots of parking available, either directly outside the entrance or in the overflow car park, all just a couple of minutes away from the entrance.
We were politely greeted in the ticket office and given a complimentary map of the grounds, there was also a map for the children with a trail finder throughout the grounds. The toilets are opposite the entrance so easily and quickly located if needed after a long car journey.
There are a vast amount of gardens which are all beautifully maintained, you are free to sit on the grassed areas and there are lots of benches for resting. My eldest daughter is currently learning about nature at school and it was a perfect place for her to look at all the plants, flowers and wildlife we saw throughout the grounds. There are lots of different types of trees and we spent time taking bark rubbings and collecting fallen leaves. We saw lots of different birds and squirrels whilst walking around and we obtained free information sheets about British wildlife, birds, insects and trees which meant the children could tick off what they saw as we walked through the grounds. The gardens are all flat so it is an ideal place for people with pushchairs and wheelchairs.
After having a leisurely walk through the grounds we then came to the children’s play area. It’s a lovely play area with a wooden castle fort and slide, wooden climbing frames, things to climb through, swings, a game of tic tac toe and at the back of the play area there is an area for den building with large sticks and branching for the children to build as they wish.
After leaving the play area, we visited the Hall itself. On entering the building you can get a feel of how grand it was with lots of beautiful features and a lot of the rooms are maintained in period style. The highlight of the house for my children was the dressing room where they were able to dress in clothes which matched the people in a large painting in the room. Outside there is a laundry room where you can learn how clothes were laundered and an area where the original dog kennels were.
They have a number of different exhibitions throughout the year at the property. The exhibition when we visited was Royal portraits throughout the ages. There are many different artistic styles used and many pictures and portraits throughout the house and grounds.
Although we visited on a busy day, we never once felt crowded as the grounds are so vast you can always find your own place for a picnic on the grass. You can take balls or other outdoor games to play and there are scooters and small bikes scattered around for the children to use. We had a really lovely day and the house and all the grounds are wonderfully maintained. All the staff we came across were so lovely and helpful. Whilst visiting the house we had several people offer to share information with us and ensure we got the most out of our visit.
There is a cafe on site selling food, homemade cakes, ice creams, hot and cold drinks. I think the cafe was maybe a little on the pricey side but was very good quality and in a lovely walled area of the grounds.
All in all, we had a lovely relaxing day which is quite an achievement with two young children and we definitely want to return in the near future.
Rating: 5/5 
For more information visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/beningbrough-hall-gallery-and-gardens.
Beningbrough Hall, Beningbrough, York, North Yorkshire, YO30 1DD
