A North Yorkshire historic house has marked its 400th anniversary in style, welcoming a record-breaking 40,000 visitors during its 2025 season.
Built in 1625, Kiplin Hall has stood for four centuries, witnessing the rise and fall of fortunes, shifting class systems and the impact of both the Industrial Revolution and World War II.
Once left near-derelict and facing an uncertain future, the hall was saved from demolition by its last owner, Miss Bridget Talbot OBE, who placed the house and its contents into a charitable trust before her death in 1971.
Further salvation came in an unexpected form, when natural gravel deposits on the land surrounding the Hall generated income through quarrying in the 1990s, helping to fund a full restoration. Since 2001, Kiplin Hall has operated as a museum, sharing the stories of the four families who lived there – the Calverts, Crowes, Carpenters and Talbots.
Although much-loved by those who discovered it, Kiplin historically had a reputation as a ‘hidden gem’, with its busiest pre-pandemic year attracting around 17,000 visitors. That has now changed dramatically.
Run by a small staff team supported by more than 200 volunteers, Kiplin Hall Trust has worked to raise the profile of the attraction in recent years. Since taking on the role of director in 2019, James Etherington has led a new strategy aimed at putting Kiplin firmly on the map.
“I was keen to shake off the idea of being a hidden gem,” he said.
“While it is lovely to be a gem, we don’t want Kiplin to be hidden. We want more people to know it and love it – giving Kiplin the credit it deserves as a sparkling jewel in the crown of the region.
“In recent years we’ve been building a strategy towards 2025, marking the 400th anniversary of the building of Kiplin Hall. This year we’ve held a bumper programme of exhibitions and events, including a documentary film premiere, as well as opening a new visitor centre with a café, gift shop and museum gallery.
“We hoped to welcome around 30,000 visitors based on the growth we’ve seen since reopening after Covid. We reached that target and broke through it. We reset the target to 37,000 and breached that too. Then we began to wonder – wouldn’t it be incredible to reach 40,000 visitors in our 400th year?
“With three weeks of the season to go we were within 2,000 visitors of the magic number, so we launched one final marketing push. I’m delighted to say we reached the milestone of 40,000 visitors, perfectly timed with the end of our season and Thanksgiving Day.”
Kiplin Hall and Gardens has strong historical links with the United States, particularly the state of Maryland, founded by George Calvert, the Hall’s first owner. To reflect this, the 2025 season concluded with a special focus on Thanksgiving.
Programming curator Alice Rose, who is responsible for events during the anniversary year, explained the thinking behind the theme.
“Reflecting on the significance of the 400th anniversary, we knew we wanted to end the season with a message of gratitude,” she said.
“Gratitude to the four families who have owned Kiplin over the last 400 years, and to the fifth family of staff and volunteers who have worked so hard over the last 25 years to share Kiplin with the public.
“While planning our Thanksgiving exhibition, we wanted visitors to learn about this North American tradition, but also to engage with it themselves by sharing what they are grateful for. Visitors wrote notes for our Thankful Tree – some celebrating the beauty of nature and the colours of autumn, others naming family members, pets and even favourite foods, such as pizza and cake, which feels very appropriate here at Kiplin.”
More than 400 visitors also contributed handprints for an autumn leaves display, creating a vibrant and uplifting installation.
Alice added: “Given the hardships and turmoil in the world today, it’s important to take a moment to recognise the positives. We are proud that Kiplin offers people a place where they can reflect and feel thankful.”
On Thursday, November 27, visitors and volunteers gathered on the lawn for a commemorative photograph, forming the number 40,000 in a celebratory ‘human pixel’ display to mark the achievement.
Kiplin Hall and Gardens will reopen for the 2026 season on Friday, February 6. The site will be open six days a week, closing on Thursdays. The full 2026 programme is set to be launched in the New Year.
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