Summer At Newby Hall

Newby Hall always has plenty on during the summer months and has a history that dates from the 16th century – but how many know the secret role the estate played in more recent times?

Owned by the Compton family since 1748, elegant Newby Hall is one of the biggest attractions in Yorkshire, with the visitor season at Boroughbridge’s very own stately home running between 
1 April and 28 September.
The hall’s present incarnation was designed by Sir Christopher Wren in the 1690s and given a facelift by Robert Adam just 50 years later. A tour of the Georgian house reveals a fine collection of decorative arts, including Chippendale furniture and Gobelin tapestries, but the house and its parkland played a very special – and secret – role in World War II.

The whole summer at Newby is packed with festivals, exhibitions, workshops and theatre.

“Nothing happened at the house during the Second World War,” Kate Bankier, assistant administrator at the hall, tells us. “And that’s because it was one of three houses secretly reserved by the government as a safe haven for the Royal Family. Despite repeated attempts to requisition it for war purposes, 
no-one could reveal why the requests 
were refused.”
So Newby Hall would have been the bolt hole in the north if the Royal Family had been forced to leave London during the bombing raids, but they stayed put and won the affection and respect of their countrymen for doing so. You can find out more about the role of the house during both World Wars in the “Duty Calls” exhibition in Newby’s Entrance Pavilion, which commemorates the centenary of 
World War I.
And in fact the whole summer at Newby is packed with festivals, exhibitions, workshops and theatre. Saturday and Sunday 7 – 8 June turns up the annual Tractor Festival, which sees a parade of ancient tractors parking up in Ripon’s market square on the Saturday evening. “It’s one of the highlights of the Newby year,” claims Kate. “We have hundreds of cars, tractors, lorries and stationary engines and it has become the biggest tractor event in the north of England.”
A triathlon takes place around Newby’s grounds on 15 June. Culture abounds here too. There’s Shakespearian drama with a production of Much Ado About Nothing on the West Lawn on Wednesday and Thursday 23 – 24 July. The 14th Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition runs all summer from early June, with pieces exhibited in the estate’s orchard and woodlands. July sees the advent of a two month long exhibition in the gardens of sculpture by Zimbabwean artists Dudzai Mushawepwere and Matthew Nakawhale, who also hold workshops for schools. All pieces exhibited will be for sale.
Another cracking day out at Newby is the Historic Vehicle Rally, which was the busiest single day on the estate back in 2013. “We had five thousand people here that day,” reports Kate. This year the rally will be held on Sunday 20 July.
“Nearly 90 per cent of our visitors are local,” says Kate. “Our season tickets are really good value so we attract lots of locals when they have friends visiting or they come just for a walk around the famous herbaceous borders on a lovely summer’s day.”
There’s plenty outside to keep kids occupied too. The miniature railway, adventure playground, dancing fountains and boat trips on the River Ure all make Newby Hall a perfect family destination for a local day out.