Hanbury Hall

Elegant 18th century family home

The welcoming William & Mary style house was built in 1701 for eminent lawyer Thomas Vernon. The red-brick exterior purveys a comfortable affluence with Dutch-style pavilions and Corinthian columns, and this prosperity is further enforced by the James Thornhill murals which adorn the walls and ceiling.

Hanbury Hall was owned by the Vernon family for more than two centuries, a time in which the family's fortune fluctuated and the opulence of the house altered accordingly. In the late 1700s Emma Vernon, daughter of the house, made an ill-fated marriage to Henry Cecil, later Lord Exeter, which resulted in the sad sale of most of Hanbury's original contents - the fine porcelain and flower paintings now on display were brought to Hanbury by the National Trust.

Outside, the extensive gardens boast historic gems such as an orangery, a working mushroom house and a 18th century crown bowling green. After a relaxing game of bowles, stop by the tea room before heading off to explore nearly 400 acres of parkland.

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