Bramham Park

About this place

Built in 1698, Bramham Park is a Grade I listed country house set between Leeds and Wetherby in West Yorkshire.

Robert Benson, later 1st Baron Bingley, began building it after completing a grand tour of France and Italy in 1697.

The house is built in a classical Baroque manner and sits within around 500 acres of landscaped park, ornamented with follies and avenues laid out in the 18th-century formal tradition.

The Lane Fox family, whose ancestors created the estate, still own and manage it today.

History

Robert Benson began building Bramham Park in 1698, inspired by what he had seen during his grand tour of France and Italy, completed in 1697. Benson was later ennobled as 1st Baron Bingley. The estate has passed through successive generations and is now held by the Lane Fox family, who regard the preservation of its historic and natural assets as a continuing responsibility.

Architecture

The house is constructed of magnesian limestone ashlar with stone slate roofs in a classical style. The main block rises to three storeys and is linked by colonnades to flanking pavilions, set behind a raised forecourt.

Worth knowing

Leeds Festival has been held at Bramham Park since 2003, bringing one of Britain's largest music events onto the grounds of a working 18th-century estate.

Gardens & grounds

The 500-acre landscaped park is laid out in the 18th-century formal tradition, with a series of follies and long avenues that remain largely intact.