Overlooking the impressive Rye Valley, Duncombe Park in North Yorkshire is hailed as one of the most beautiful among English landscape conceptions of the 18th century. Originally part of the estate granted to Walter de L’Espec in 1120, it passed through his sister to the de Ros family, then to the Manners family, the Earls of Rutland, in 1508.
In 1632, George Villiers, first Duke of Buckingham, acquired the estate through his marriage to Katherine Manners. After the second Duke’s death in 1687, the 40,000-acre estate was sold to goldsmith Sir Charles Duncombe, who left it to his nephew, Thomas Duncombe, in 1711.
Thomas Duncombe commissioned a new house designed by Yorkshire architect William Wakefield that same year, possibly with input from Sir John Vanbrugh. The house’s architecture is Italianate Baroque, later incorporating Georgian and Victorian influences. It features a two-storey structure with a basement and attic, an eleven-bay façade, and a tetrastyle Tuscan portico. Flanking wings have Doric pilasters and semi-circular-headed sash windows.
The house is connected by quadrant walls to two stable blocks, designed by Charles Barry in 1843. Inside, original decorative features, including a wrought-iron staircase, date back to 1713, while the saloon, added in 1895, reflects 18th-century styles.
The estate’s landscape is equally impressive, with pleasure grounds laid out between 1718 and 1730. A highlight is the Rievaulx Terrace, a half-mile-long promenade with views of Rievaulx Abbey, adorned with Grade I listed temples. Other notable structures include the Doric Temple, the Father Time sundial, and the Orangery, all contributing to its designation as a Grade I registered park and garden.
After a fire in 1879, the house was rebuilt by William Young and later served as a girls’ boarding school. Following restoration in the 1980s, it returned to being a private residence. Today, the estate is open to the public, offering access to its gardens and parkland.
Address: Duncombe Park, Helmsley, York YO62 5EB, United Kingdom
Books by Dr Emma Wells
