East Riddlesden Hall // Keighley.

I discovered the beautiful East Riddlesden Hall last year on a whim, and it didn’t disappoint! As a history lover, I love to visit old houses, castles, and landmarks. I also love gardens and flowers (as you might have gathered by my previous blog posts!), so in my eyes anywhere that has these features, is a win. But East Riddlesden Hall proved to be a hidden gem!

This beautiful 17th century manor house dates back to the 1600’s, but parts of the house and grounds are said to date back even further. Both the house and its grounds are now owned by the National Trust, who take great care in maintaining its beauty, and originality. Steeped in history and also reputedly haunted; the manor is welcoming and homely. Even with its spooky side, the atmosphere there is warm, and inviting. In a weird way, as soon as I stepped through the doors I felt very at home.

We were welcomed into the house by the lovely tour guides who occupy every room, and corridor. They were all very friendly and more than happy to tell us stories, and facts about the house and its many tapestries, paintings, and antiques.

I wish I had gotten more pictures of the interior of the house, but I was so in awe of this place that I didn’t get half as many pictures as I’d have liked. I did get a few of the gardens/grounds though.

The house was originally the home of a wealthy clothier, James Murgatroyd. He built upon the house, and is responsible for most of what we see today. There are parts of the house that have been demolished. Although that might seem a little sorrowful, I think it adds to the character of the house. There’s something special about seeing something stand still in a state of incompletion; it’s almost as if it’s frozen in time.

The house on its own is impressive, but the garden is really something else. I was lucky enough to go on a bright, sunny day – but I can only assume it’s beautiful anytime of the year. I can imagine how stunning it must look in the snow! Filled with flowers and an immaculate lawn, it’s the perfect place to sit and sunbathe.

On the left side of the house there is a perfect spot to sit and watch the pretty country side view. As well as enjoying the view, you can also relish in some of the pretty plants growing around the garden – such as the sweet little chamomile plants, and the lavender.

Also, being the big kid that I am, I was very excited when we discovered a ‘secret garden’. Well actually is was more like a little woodland area. Rustling through the garden walls and through the trees whilst being paranoid that a spider was going to fall on my head; I discover the spot tucked away, with a few little signs along the way. I’ll never be bored of fairytales, so I found the whole thing really sweet, and a nice little ending to our trip. And yes, it was meant to be for the children haha….but my head is always stuck in the clouds…

(^^they’re a little blurry because like I said….paranoid….spiders….)

If you’d like to learn a little more about East Riddlesden Hall and its history, here’s the website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/east-riddlesden-hall

Ps. If you are a lover of all things spooky, ‘Most Haunted’ did an episode there a few years ago! Super episode if you’re into that sort of thing! It’s on Youtube 🙂