KIPLIN Hall has announced plans for a new welcome block and improved car parking to accommodate increasing numbers of visitors.

The 400-year-old Grade-I listed building and pleasure grounds between Northallerton and Richmond has been welcoming visitors to its museum and gardens for nearly 20 years.

The welcome block will include facilities for a new cafe, terrace seating with views across the lake, an exhibition space, and accessible toilets.

The project is expected to cost in the region of £1.2m and will be paid for by a combination of funding sources, including bequests.

Leeds-based Bauman Lyons Architects Ltd has been appointed to design the welcome block in consultation with staff, volunteers, and visitors to the hall and gardens, an independent charity that relies on ticket sales for income. It will be seeking more funding for this project in the coming months.

James Etherington, director of the hall, said: “Kiplin Hall and Gardens is known and loved for its warm welcome and tranquil setting. As the visitor attraction grows in popularity we are keen to retain this reputation and experience for visitors, while welcoming more people to share in the adventures and everyday lives undertaken by the people who lived and worked here.

"A new welcome block will make access to all that Kiplin has to offer easier for everyone. It will also free up more space in museum for historic displays.”

Chair of trustees, Lindsay Osario added: “In the light of the Covid pandemic we are also working hard to develop opportunities for visitors to explore the history of the house from our invaluable outdoor spaces. Some of these creative and exciting new gardens will be opening in 2022, while the building project will take a couple of years to complete. As Kiplin Hall approaches its 400th anniversary celebration in 2025 we will be in a position to celebrate the achievements of the past and look forward to the future.”

Kiplin is open six days a week, closing on Thursdays. The historic house museum displays the possessions, art and furniture of the four families who owned the hall over 400 years. The 90 aces of grounds include formal gardens, lakeside walks, woodland paths and open parkland with grazing sheep.