Carlton Towers

Carlton Towers is a Grade 1 listed country house, and the family home of Lord & Lady Gerald Fitzalan Howard. The house sits within 250 acres of parkland, as part of a 3,000-acre estate.

Guests are invited to stay in two of the wings, which include the clock tower. There are 16 rooms in total, accommodating up to 31 guests (you can have 47 guests, if you use the cottages). In the house, the Batchelors’ wing has five double rooms, two twin-bedded rooms, and a single. The Nursery wing has six bedrooms, which include the two-storey Majesty Baroness Tower, with its priest’s hole. There are a further two suites in the Clock Tower, each with their own bathroom.

There are six cottages close to the main house, each self-contained with their own kitchen and living room, and sheltered stone terrace.

In the main house, there are three inter-connected state rooms on the first floor for guests to use – the Venetian Drawing Room, the Picture Gallery and the Card Room. The Picture Gallery can be set for a banquet, should it need to be. There are also two further less formal sitting rooms – the Bow Drawing
Room, and the Armoury, as well the Beaumont, which is set up as a professional bar.

Guests are invited to use the newly renovated kitchen on the ground floor, which is beside the Duchess’s Dining Room, and the Housekeeper’s Sitting Room.

Outside, the old walled garden has been transformed into a working vineyard, and guests can admire the vines whilst drinking the sparkling produce of a vintage year. The house is surrounded by lawns and there’s an elegant parterre in which to wander.

Edmund’s Choice of Extraordinary Feature

“Carlton Towers really is a stately home in all respects. It’s an absolute testament to British craftsmanship and Gothic Revival style, and the state rooms are wholly impressive, particularly Venetian Drawing Room. You might find me, however, ensconced on a steamer chair, in the walled garden.”

About this location

Carlton Towers is about 20 minutes from Doncaster International Airport. Transfer from the airport can be arranged. Leeds Bradford Airport is about an hour away, and for a more direct flight, there is a helipad at Carlton Towers.

The nearest main-line train station is Selby, around ten minutes’ drive away in a car. London is about two hours away, by train.

Things To Do

There’s lots to do on site, including history tours, cookery demonstrations, cookery school, clay pigeon shooting, archery, foraging, walking and exploring.

The Historic City of York is about a forty-minute drive away, where you can visit York Minister, The Shambles, Betty’s Tea Room and much more. There’s also horse racing at York, Doncaster, and Wetherby racecourse, all within easy reach of the house.