Yorkshire Dales: Broughton Hall

For an exclusive use historic house, where tradition meets innovation, head to Broughton Hall. Recently refurbished with 900 years of history and a state-of-the-art wellbeing centre, this exquisite country house offers a truly authentic and unique stay.

A firm favourite of the Dream Escape team, Broughton Hall is not only a preferred partner, but also the chosen location for Dream Escape’s recent annual festive retreat and team building get together, as well as being the subject to another of Holly’s brilliant podcasts (please click here to listen). Broughton Hall is one of Britain’s most spectacular estates. Located in the heart of the rolling countryside amidst acres of woodland and verdant landscape in northern England’s Yorkshire Dales.

As part of your Dream Escape stay at Broughton Hall, re-energising in the Avalon Wellness Centre is an absolute must - a place to heal the mind and to feel replenished by the natural world with wellbeing workshops from medical herbalism, yoga, sound meditation, ecstatic dance to forest bathing.

Experience an evening of folklore and storytelling around an atmospheric and enchanting fire pit, or set off on an unforgettable foraging expedition around the estate. Why not invigorate yourself with a wild swim in a stunning private reservoir beside an idyllic Hermit’s Hut before taking a Landrover Experience challenge, learning off roading techniques against a backdrop of moors and rocky climbs?

The Broughton Hall Estate is steeped in history, having been the home of the Tempest family since 1097 its rich history stretches back over the Millennium. William the Conqueror granted lands at Broughton Hall post-1066, and quite unusually, it has remained in the same family ownership since.

Its 21st century reawakening, however, at the electrifying direction of rural and heritage entrepreneur Roger Tempest, 33rd generation, is thrillingly pioneering.

Few historic houses can boast flourishing wellbeing projects in its old stone stables and outbuildings, or an intriguing 18th century barn transformed into an exquisite first-rate holiday home fittingly christened Eden. Fewer still can claim the aesthetic touch of Dan Pearson, landscape architect, or a swish wellbeingsanctuary with linear 20 metre pool and studios within its modern, geometric walls.

More recently, Roger, has even opened up his glorious family home, at the core of the Estate - and made it available as exclusive use accommodation for Dream Escape guests.

Broughton Hall

The residence is celestial, rich, breathtaking. The house, an Elizabethan construction enveloped in Georgian 19th century elaborations of pale golden stone, is not a museum in the paralysing clutches of preservation, or country manor hotel with false character, the vestiges of its family input rubbed out, but the cumulative efforts of one of the nation’s oldest dynasties. They are its lifeblood – and it shows.

‘This is a property which has sort of taken on a new layer of ‘Claridge’s, Daylesford and Soho House’ as its inspirations’ says Roger. Offering guests exclusive use stays gives them an opportunity to share in Britain’s history, appreciating the extraordinarily British cultural creations with their works of art from the grand tour’, he says. ‘In the 21st century, the English country estate has been reinvented to become a force for good creatively, socially and economically. All of it can be shared; Broughton is a prime example of that privilege’.

Anybody calling in on the Estate three decades ago would have found a very different place. Most of the outbuildings were redundant, the gardens untended, and the house was in a state of putrefying frailty. It was freezing cold, and the plasterwork was peeling. Hot water was a rarity. Any reader of Country Life will recognise that the cartoon strip, Tottering by Gently, now in its 25th anniversary year, is all based at Broughton (Annie Tempest, its creator, is Roger’s older sister). In the 20th century, when the Hall was still in need of restoration, snow would appear on the billiard table: ‘Annie would draw Lord and Lady Tottering layering another dog on the bed for warmth!’ he recalls.

“In the 21st century, the English country estate has been reinvented to become a force for good creatively, socially and economically. All of it can be shared; Broughton is a prime example of that privilege.”

‘At Broughton you can live the life of a new story in an original way – feel it, touch it, sleep in it’, Roger says, explaining ‘that’s because the restoration process has been impressively extensive. There has been tremendous human endeavour here, so much craftsmanship by so many specialists from carpet makers and gilders, to our award-winning pavilion designed by Sir Michael Hopkins in the contemporary walled garden.’

The holistic experience continues outside the exclusive use house, to the expertly nurtured, utterly beautiful grounds, with tennis courts, to mountain biking, woodland dining, fire-pit parties and more.

Your Downton Abbey-style Dream Escape 'exclusively-yours' stay could include trips to see local attractions, from Brontë-land, Salts Mill and its David Hockney collection, to Betty’s tearoom in Harrogate, to the untamed stretches of the National Park.

A group go forest bathing

Roger has done something similar before, at the palatial Aldourie Castle on the east bank of Loch Ness, where he first met Holly and David from Dream Escape - the castle was reinvented as high-class accommodation and wedding venue in the 2000s, another superlatively triumphant venture which is now in the safe hands of Danish entrepreneur Anders Poulsen.

Avalon's co-founder Paris Ackrill

Sound healing workshop at the Avalon Wellbeing Centre

Broughton Hall sitting room

The difference here – and this is what marks Broughton out as a unique encounter – is that staying in the private family house is usually off-limits.

Rumour has it that royalty has already spent a few nights here, probably enchanted by the aeons of history brought up to date by the luxuries of modern life.

It is rare you can immerse yourself in the sheer magnitude of an old British country estate’s history with the blessing of its owners allowing guests free run, including the gothic-style Catholic chapel. And that sense of continuity, of the absolute reach of endurance, pervades the Archive Room where the crinkled parchment of a 14th century mortgage is on display.

Forest and landscape

Guest bathroom

Forest and landscape

Broughton Hall Guest bedroom

The upshot here is something unique, a dazzling one-off tale of revival which completely defies the usual country house trends – and now you can take part in it, become wholly, wondrously absorbed in its vitality. ‘Love as you find’ is the ancient family motto: it would be impossible not to.

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Louise Murray, Head of Planning London & England “Broughton Hall is a Dream Escape favourite for good reason! Roger and his team looked after us so impeccably and the experiences we had will certainly be shared. It was like stepping back in time with an inspirational modern twist. The copper bath in my bedroom was simply the best!” louise@dreamescape.co.uk

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