The Hall remains the much loved family home of the Macdonald-Buchanan family. The house was built between 1702 and 1712 for the Langham family; Francis Smith of Warwick was the architect. The house also underwent development during the late 18th century, including the addition of the East and West bows in the Adam manner, and interior features such as notable wrought iron work and extremely unusual rococo papier mache wall decoration.
Cottesbrooke is also home to The Woolavington Collection of Sporting Art. The collection is arguably the finest of its type in Europe and you will see paintings by Stubbs, Ben Marshall and Alfred Munnings among others. There is also a large number of outstanding bronzes, some exceptional English and French furniture and a fine porcelain collection.
Hall tours are led by our team of expert guides who each have a unique understanding of the building and its history. The remarkable 18th century landscaping of the Park, its vistas and lakes provide the backdrop to the Hall.
The renowned gardens are of great variety with many specimen trees. In the tranquil Wild Garden, meandering around a stream, you can enjoy wild flowers, specimen acers, bamboos and gunneras. The more formal gardens surrounding the Hall are a series of individually planted ‘rooms’. There are pergolas, statues, roses, double herbaceous borders, pools and lily ponds and, on the south front, the formal parterre. The gardens run to 13 acres in total.
A number of distinguished designers have been involved in the development of the gardens: Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe and Dame Sylvia Crowe in the middle of the 19th century and more recently James Alexandra Sinclair, Angela Collins, both locally based in Northamptonshire and Arne Maynard.
Cottesbrooke Estate from Cottesbrooke Hall on Vimeo.
