Norton Conyers
Ian Jones, Food and Drink Editor
The garden will open on Tuesday 2 April 2024 and the house will open on Saturday 4 May 2024.
Norton Conyers, located just north of Ripon, Yorkshire, is world-famous as the inspiration for Charlotte Bronte’s novel Jane Eyre. A tradition is attached to the house of a madwoman in the attic, and recent archaeological discoveries might confirm this: a sealed passage to the attic was discovered in 2004.
A house of many layers, the structure dates back to medieval times, and possibly as far back as the Anglo-Saxon period, with Stuart and Georgian additions. The home has belonged to the Graham family since 1624. You can visit bed-chambers used by Charles I and James II.
Norton Conyers, located just north of Ripon, Yorkshire, is world-famous as the inspiration for Charlotte Bronte’s novel Jane Eyre.
Architectural connoisseurs will note the fine Dutch-style stepped gables. Inside, the ceilings are pristine examples of eighteenth-century plasterwork.
The gardens retain their eighteenth-century character, and have been managed and restored by a dedicated team of groundskeepers and gardeners. In fact, the gardens won the HHA Sotheby’s Restoration Award in 2014. The large walled garden is arranged around an Orangery and includes an ornamental pond, magnificent herbaceous borders, and rolling parkland. A discrete garden centre furnishes visitors with seasonal plants and vegetables. A changing display of historical gardening tools gives visitors a fascinating insight into the history of gardening. Many visitors are charmed by the carpet of snowdrops that open across the lawns in the appropriate season.
