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Built in 1732 to a James Gibbs design, Kelmarsh Hall is surrounded by its working estate, grazed parkland and beautiful gardens, over the years, successive owners and influences have left their imprint on the Palladian house and the gardens, reflecting the development of country house styles and tastes. None more so than Nancy Lancaster who decorated the rooms in the manner that has become known as the English country house look.

William Hanbury, a noted antiquarian, built the current Hall, his fortunes were bolstered by an advantageous marriage to a niece of Viscount Bateman. As well as acquiring Shobdon Estate in Herefordshire, the marriage led to his grandson William Hanbury III to succeed to the baronetcy.

“There is nothing could more add to the happiness I enjoy,” wrote William Hanbury as he watched the roof going on his new Palladian style mansion. The virtuoso architect of his day, James Gibbs, and builder, Francis Smith of Warwick, had been instructed to replace the former Jacobean hall with something more modern. The famed historian Nikolaus Pevsner praised their results as, “a perfect, extremely reticent design…done in an impeccable taste."

The Naylors purchased the estate in 1864. Richard Christopher Naylor was a Liverpool banker, cotton trader and horse racing enthusiast who bought the estate for its hunting potential and cared for it through most of the Victorian era. The, thanks to a fortune founded in iron and coal, George Granville Lancaster bought the Estate in 1902. His wife Cicely was of Hugenot family, Champion de Crespigny. Their son, Claude inherited on his majority in 1924, and was then followed by his elder sister in 1977.

The Anglo American Ronald Tree and his wife Nancy rented the Hall from 1928 -1933. The couple later moved to another James Gibbs house, Ditchley Park in Oxfordshire. On their divorce in 1948, Nancy Tree returned to Kelmarsh Hall as the wife of Colonel Lancaster. A well connected Virginian (her aunt was the formidable politician, Nancy Astor), she is most famous for her partnership in the decorating firm of Colefax and Fowler. The marriage was short lived and Nancy Lancaster ended her days and her gardening career at the much admired Haseley Court, Oxfordshire.

A famed arbiter of fashion, Nancy Lancaster’s taste for combining comfort with formality set the trend for what we recognise today as the English Country House look. Even Country Life came to photograph the glamorous American’s trend setting. Her spirit still pervades the house today and visitors can see Nancy Lancaster’s style most clearly in the delicate pink terracotta of the Great Hall, the exuberant Chinese wallpaper and seasonal flower arrangements on display.

Following her brother's wishes, Cicely Valencia Lancaster set up the Kelmarsh Trust to safeguard the estate's future after her death in 1996. To find out more about Kelmarsh, and about visiting, their Website should prove an invaluable aid.

The Gardens:

Despite the Eighteenth Century setting, the gardens that visitors see at Kelmarsh Hall today are largely inspired by Nancy Lancaster. With her instinctive panache she extended her interior style of shabby chic charm into the gardens and drafted in the garden designer of her day, the talented Norah Lindsay, to help.

Around the Hall the landscape architect Geoffrey Jellicoe laid out a formal terrace and horse chestnut avenues leading down to the lake. From the sophisticated pastels of the sunken garden through to the showier shades of the 30m long border, the garden leads you on a tour around the perimeter of a triangular walled garden. This secret heart is being renovated to a state of beautiful utility with joyous cut flower borders and, with the aid of a Heritage Lottery Fund Grant, a recent restored vinery.

Corporate and Weddings:

With a policy of exclusive use, Kelmarsh Hall is available for weddings and corporate events throughout the year. A series of rooms are available, including the recently renovated Ballroom which is large enough to seat up to 90 guests for dinner. The Saloon, which is licensed for civil wedding ceremonies, has spectacular views over the lake and the Great Hall, with its fine 18th-century plasterwork and open fire which is lit on cooler days, is perfect for champagne receptions. For larger parties there is a marquee site to the front of the house which is suitable for up to 350.

There is also a large event site comprising 36 acres of flat parkland with adjacent parking for 14,000 cars and magnificent views across the lake to the Hall. For further details, do have a look at their Website.

Opening Times - 2010:

Gardens:
4th April - 30th September: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Sundays & Bank Holiday Mondays, 11 am - 5 pm

Tea room:
4th April - 30th September: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Sundays & Bank Holiday Mondays, 11 am - 5 pm

House (including the Croome Exhibition):
4th April - 30th September: Thursdays, Bank Holiday Sundays & Mondays, 2 - 5 pm

Free Access House (no guided tours) & Gardens:
26th, 29th August - 2nd September

House, Gardens & Tea Room:
Closed: 30th May

Admission Prices - 2010:

House & Garden:
Adult - £5
Child (5-14) - £3
Concession - £4.50
Access to House by guided tour only

Garden only:
Adult - £4
Child (5-14) - £2.50
Concession - £3.50

Tour of House and admission to the Gardens:
Adult - £5.50
Concession - £5
Child - £3.50

Tour of Croome Exhibition and admission to the Gardens:
Adult - £5.50
Concession - £5
Child - £3.50

Combined Ticket for House, Croome & Garden:
Adult - £8.50
Concession - £8
Child - £4.50

Gardens only:
Adult - £4.50
Concession - £4
Child - £3

Garden Season Tickets are available, £15 for individuals, or £30 for a Family Season Ticket.

Groups (16+):

Tour of House and admission to the Gardens: Adult - £7
Tour of Croome Exhibition and admission to the Gardens: Adult - £7
House, Croome Exhibition and admission to Gardens: Adult - £12
Tour of the Gardens with the Head Gardener: Adult - £7
Tour of House and the Gardens: Adult - £12
Tours of the House, Croome Exhibition and Gardens: Adult - £18
Admission to the Gardens only: Adult - £6

Group Tours can be accommodated by arrangement on any day of the year

More information on the garden can be found on The Gardens Guide.