A return visit to Beningbrough Hall

Built in 1716 on the site of an Elizabethan house, Beningbrough Hall is one of the National Trust's finest Georgian mansions. It was the vision of a young man, John Bourchier, who inherited the hall aged just 16. Influenced by his grand tour of Europe in 1704, he commissioned William Thornton as his chief craftsman. The result is a beautiful house in the 'Yorkshire Baroque' style, with stunning mouldings and sweeping staircases. 

I last visited in 2018 and since then it has been closed for refurbishment. It was used during WWII as a base for the RAF and then the Royal Canadian Airforce. After that, its then owner, Lady Chesterfield, lived there until her death in 1957, when it was given to the National Trust in lieu of death duties. There is very little original furniture left and the hall lacks the cosy family feeling of many of our grand houses. The revamp has created exhibition space on the first floor, the Reddihough Galleries. That was what I went to see - an exhibition of black and white photos by Kate Somervell, some of Venice and some of Beningbrough itself. 

The staircases are elegant and the ceilings ornately shaped and moulded, giving wonderful plays of light and shadow, especially with the new LED lighting. It's a good house for photography in that respect. When aircrew were billeted here, all sorts of capers were dreamed up to relieve mission stress. If you could run from the bar, the full length of the house, up the stairs, along the top floor and then back down to the bar in one minute, you won a free pint. At bar opening time, there was a mad rush to get downstairs, usually on push bikes, and on at least one occasion, a motorbike to try and win the pint!

I rather liked the intimate Victorian conservatory that had been added. 

Views of the gardens through the windows were lovely too.