Elton Hall is a baronial hall in Elton, Cambridgeshire. It has been the ancestral home of the Proby family since 1660 (sometime known as the earls of Carysfort). The hall lies in an 3,800-acre (15 km2) estate through which the River Nene runs. The building incorporates 15th, 17th, 18th and 19th century parts and is a Grade I listed building. Elton Hall is two miles (3 km) from Fotheringhay Castle, where Mary, Queen of Scots was executed in 1587. The Victorian gardens have been skilfully restored in recent years and contain a knot garden, a new rose and herbaceous garden, fine hedges and a gothic orangery built to celebrate the Millennium. The gardens are promoted by the Campaign to Protect Rural England. The interior The south front (garden) incorporates the 15th century tower and chapel which were built at the time of Henry VII. In the 17th century a new wing was added to the west. The Marble Hall and main staircase were designed by Henry Ashton and are remarkable examples of a mid-Victorian revival of mid-18th-century style. The Drawing Room, the largest room in the house, was formed from the medieval chapel around 1740. The 18th century ceiling with its enriched cornice and frieze remains, but the present decoration dates from 1860. The Dining Room was built in 1860 and was also designed by Ashton. The three large Gothic windows are exact copies of the windows that were in the north wall of the medieval chapel. The Library contains a large collection of books representing a continuous interest from the time of Sir Thomas Proby. From the Main Library a short passage leads to the Inner Library situated in the medieval Sapcote Tower. Other rooms of special interest are the Lower and Upper Octagon rooms, the Yellow Drawing Room and the Ante Dining room. The current chapel was formed from part of the undercroft of the Sapcotes' chapel and has 15th century vaulting. There has been a house at Elton since the Norman Conquest, but the present building is largely a product of the late Jacobean period. An earlier Tudor manor survives in the undercroft and and the gatehouse tower. There was a medieval hall on the site, owned by the Sapcote family, however the name most associated with Elton Hall is Proby. The Proby involvement at Elton goes back to the late 16th century to a rising star in the Elizabethan world called Peter Proby. He was a Cheshire man who served as an MP under Elizabeth I, and later was an aide to Sir Francis Walsingham before eventually becoming Lord Mayor of London. Proby served as bailiff of Elton Manor under James I in 1604 and took out a lease on Elton Mills. His grandson, Sir Thomas Proby, really made the family fortune when he married Frances Cotton, a wealthy heiress, and together they gained control of Elton Hall. Sir Thomas rebuilt the old medieval Hall, though he retained the undercroft and the gatehouse tower. The work was completed around 1666. The next Proby to make a mark was John Proby, an 18th century diplomat who was created the 1st Earl of Carysfort. John Proby enlarged the house, and introduced many of the 18th century features that give the Hall much of its character today. The interior is full of fabulous artwork, including Old Master works dating to the 15th century. Much more modern by comparison are the Pre-Raphaelite paintings by Millais and Tadema. Some of the top names in British art are represented, with works by Gainsborough, Reynolds, and Constable on display. Perhaps the most impressive state room on exhibit is the Drawing Room, an ornately gilded chamber formed from the medieval chapel. Equally impressive is the Library, which features one of the most important collections of books and manuscripts in private hands in Britain. The most popular exhibit is Henry VIII's personal prayer book, with notes in Henry VIII's own handwriting. https://www.britainexpress.com

Parking is at Bosworth’s Garden Centre at The Walled Garden, Elton. OPEN DAY ADMISSIONS: - HALL AND GARDEN £10.00 - GARDEN ONLY £7.50 Children under 16 accompanied by an adult free. GROUP ADMISSIONS (MIN. 20 PERSONS): - GROUP BOOKINGS £12 per head (£9 per head garden only) - SCHOOL GROUPS £7 *There are additional costs per person for evening / weekend visits by arrangement only Children under 16 accompanied by an adult free. office@eltonhall.com Payment is by cash or cheque only