About
Burton Constable Hall is a substantial Elizabethan and Jacobean country house near Skirlaugh in the East Riding of Yorkshire, standing at the heart of a large parkland estate and remaining the ancestral seat of the Constable family, who have held the estate continuously since the medieval period, making it one of the longest-held family estates in the north of England.
Built principally in the 1560s and remodelled and extended across succeeding centuries, most notably with elegant Georgian interiors added in the eighteenth century, the Hall presents visitors with over thirty rooms open to view, ranging from grand state rooms to more intimate family spaces, each reflecting different periods in the house's long architectural and social history.
Among its most celebrated interiors is the Chinese Room, an exceptional example of eighteenth-century chinoiserie decoration reflecting the period's fashionable enthusiasm for imported and imitation East Asian design, while the Long Gallery and principal state rooms display fine collections of period furniture, portraiture and decorative arts accumulated by successive generations of the Constable family.
A particular highlight of the collection is the remarkable "Cabinet of Curiosities" assembled during the eighteenth century by William Constable, an enthusiastic collector and man of the Enlightenment whose wide-ranging interests in natural history, science and the wider world are reflected in an eclectic array of specimens, scientific instruments and curiosities that together offer a genuinely vivid window into eighteenth-century intellectual culture and the aristocratic tradition of the cabinet of curiosities that preceded the modern museum.
The wider estate, landscaped in part by the celebrated designer Lancelot "Capability" Brown, includes extensive parkland, woodland walks and a large ornamental lake, giving visitors the opportunity to combine exploration of the historic interiors with a substantial outdoor visit across grounds that have themselves been shaped by one of England's most influential landscape designers.
The Hall's Great Barn, a substantial estate building, hosts exhibitions, events and occasional weddings, adding a further dimension to the visitor offer beyond the main house tour.
Burton Constable Hall should not be confused with the separately named Constable Burton Hall estate in North Yorkshire, an entirely different property despite the similarity of names, and visitors researching a visit should take care to confirm they have the correct East Riding location near Hull. The Hall opens seasonally to the public, typically from late March through early November, allowing visitors to explore both the historic interiors and the wider Capability Brown parkland during the more clement months of the year.
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Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
💡 Visitor Tips
- Check the current season's opening days before travelling, as the Hall opens late March to early November, Tuesday to Sunday.
- Allow at least two hours to properly explore both the house and the wider Capability Brown parkland.
- Don't confuse Burton Constable Hall with the separately named Constable Burton Hall in North Yorkshire, a different property entirely.
- Ask room guides about the Cabinet of Curiosities, as their knowledge adds real depth to this unusual collection.
- Bring comfortable footwear if you plan to explore the parkland and lake walks as well as the house.
- Check for special events at the Great Barn, which regularly hosts exhibitions alongside the main house visit.
- Combine your visit with nearby Beverley or Hull for a fuller day exploring the East Riding.
- Note that upper floors of the historic house involve stairs, so plan accordingly if you have mobility requirements.
Highlights
The Chinese Room
An exceptional example of eighteenth-century chinoiserie decoration, the Chinese Room reflects the period's fashionable enthusiasm for imported and imitation East Asian design and ranks among the finest surviving interiors of its kind in an English country house.
William Constable's Cabinet of Curiosities
Assembled during the eighteenth century by William Constable, an enthusiastic Enlightenment-era collector, this eclectic array of natural history specimens, scientific instruments and curiosities offers a vivid window into eighteenth-century intellectual culture and the aristocratic collecting tradition that preceded the modern museum.
Capability Brown Parkland
The estate's extensive parkland, landscaped in part by the celebrated designer Lancelot 'Capability' Brown, includes woodland walks and a large ornamental lake, offering visitors a substantial outdoor complement to the historic house tour.
The Long Gallery
One of the house's grandest interior spaces, the Long Gallery displays fine period furniture and portraiture accumulated by successive generations of the Constable family across the house's long history.
Collections
Burton Constable Hall's collection reflects several centuries of continuous Constable family ownership, combining Elizabethan and Georgian architectural interiors, fine period furniture and portraiture, and the remarkable eighteenth-century Cabinet of Curiosities assembled by William Constable, whose wide-ranging natural history and scientific specimens offer a rare surviving example of Enlightenment-era aristocratic collecting.
The Chinese Room stands as one of the finest examples of eighteenth-century chinoiserie decoration in an English country house, while the wider Capability Brown-landscaped parkland extends the estate's heritage interest well beyond the house itself into a substantial designed landscape of woodland, lake and open parkland.
The State Rooms
The house's grandest interiors, including the Chinese Room and Long Gallery, displaying furniture and portraiture from across the Constable family's history.
William Constable's Cabinet of Curiosities
An eighteenth-century collection of natural history specimens, scientific instruments and curiosities assembled by the Enlightenment-era collector William Constable.
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.