*** Special Offer: For a £5 discount on Historic Houses membership use code STEW05 ***
Within the traditional counties of Cheshire and Lancashire there are fifteen exceptional heritage properties that are free-to-visit for members of Historic Houses. These range from magnificent stately homes to picturesque gardens and parkland.
Bramall Hall
Seven of these properties are in Cheshire and eight are in Lancashire, including one in what is now Greater Manchester.
Opening times vary widely between the properties, with some only open for a few days a year. So it is important to check a property’s website before setting off to visit.
It should be noted that house opening days and times are often much less than for their surrounding gardens and parkland.
Cheshire
There are seven free-to-visit properties in Cheshire and for six of these properties the houses can be visited as well as the gardens and parkland.
Arley Hall
Arley Hall, near Northwich, has been the home of the Warburton family since the 12th Century. However the present house, built in a so-called Jacobethan style, only dates back to the mid-19th Century, as do the gardens with their impressive herbaceous borders. Key features to observe when touring the Hall are the ornate fireplaces, stained glass and elaborate ceilings.
Bramall Hall, near Stockport, is a striking example of a timber-framed Tudor Manor House, with parts dating back to the 14th Century. A tour of the house features 16th Century wall paintings, elaborate plaster ceilings and furnishings which illustrate well the separation between the family rooms and the servants’ rooms below. There are terraced gardens in front of the house and 70 acres of parkland with woodland and riverside walks.
Capesthorne Hall, near Macclesfield, was built in the early 18th Century in a Neoclassical style. Within the Hall, in addition to a large collection of fine art, there is antique furniture collected by the family from around the world. Parkland of 100 acres includes lakeside gardens and woodland walks.
Cholmondeley Castle Gardens, near Nantwich are open to visitors, but not the castle itself. However there is still much to see in the castle grounds, including the Rose Garden, the Temple Water Garden and the Folly Gardens along with woodland rambles by Tower Hill and Deer Park Mere.
Peover Hall Gardens
Peover Hall, near Knutsford, is a charming Elizabethan house built by the Mainwaring family in 1585, but with many alterations since. During World War II it was the HQ for General Patton. Particularly notable on a hall tour is the fine oak panelling. The Carolean stable block has unusual Tuscan columns and decorated ceiling. The hall is surrounded by formal gardens and landscaped parkland.
Rode Hall & Gardens, near Congleton, is an early 18th Century country house in an estate owned by the Wilbraham family since 1669. The hall tour reveals a large collection of fine porcelain along with period paintings and elaborate furnishings. The gardens, set within a Repton landscape, include a two acre walled kitchen garden and a new Italian garden.
Tatton Park, near Knutsford, contains a medieval Old Hall as well as the massive Neoclassical Mansion, which dates back to 1716. The mansion contains a wide range of paintings by famous artists, including Canaletto and Van Dyke, plus many fine examples of furniture by Gillows of Lancaster.In addition to 50 acres of landscaped gardens, there is 1,000 acre deer park, home to two herds of deer.
Lancashire
There are seven free-to-visit properties in Lancashire and for six of these properties the houses can be visited as well as the gardens and parkland.
Browsholme Hall
Browsholme Hall, near Clitheroe in the Forest of Bowland, is considered the oldest surviving family home in Lancashire, being owned by the Parker family since 1507. The one hour tour of this fine Tudor house with its magnificent architecture and beautifully decorated rooms covers three storeys. The gardens include a parterre and a yew walk. These lead on to parkland with a lakeside walk.
Gresgarth Hall, east of Lancaster, only has the gardens open to visitors and not the hall itself. However these are exceptional gardens, which won the Historic Houses Garden of the Year: Judges’ Choice Award 2020. The 12 acre gardens are in a small river valley with terraces of flowers descending to a lake. There is a constant background sound of water throughout the gardens.
Hoghton Tower
Hoghton Tower, near Blackburn, dates back to 1565 and is the ancestral home of the de Hoghton family. It was badly damaged during the Civil War, with the tower, which gave the property its name, being destroyed and never replaced. The house tour takes about one and half hours starting in several finely decorated rooms, including one used as a bedroom when James I visited 1n 1617, and finishing in some dark dungeons below the house. At 650ft above sea level there are panoramic views from the Wild Garden, Rose Garden and Rampart Garden.
Leighton Hall, in the hills of North Lancashire near Carnforth, is the ancestral home of the Gillow furniture family, mentioned above at Tatton Park. It is an unstuffy house, with visitors invited to touch things, sit on furniture and relax as they explore – similar to Chillingham Castle in Northumbria. The hall was built in Georgian style in about 1760. There is a walled garden leading to a woodland walk with the Lake District hills in the background.
Lytham Hall: Georgian Bedroom
Lytham Hall, is an 18th Century Palladian style country house one mile from the centre of the seaside town of Lytham. The house tour covers the ground and first floors with fine furnishings, portraits and artwork along the way. There is a small attractive Italianate garden to the front of the house and 78 acres of wooded parkland including two lakes.
Martholme, near Accrington, is a Manor House by the River Calder with parts dating back to the 13th Century, although the main house construction was in 1577. A two storey Gatehouse was added around this time. There is a timber-framed kitchen range, walled outer courtyard and dry moat.
Towneley Hall, near Burnley, was built in about 1400 and was owned by the Towneley family for about 500 years. It has been owned by Burnley Council since 1901 and acts as the areas main Art Gallery and Museum. There is a wide range of 19th Century paintings on display, plus an Egyptology collection and a Decorative Arts Room. It is set in 400 acres of parkland. Some of this area is taken up with golf courses, although there is space left for a small formal garden and woodland walks.
Greater Manchester
Elizabeth Gaskell’s House
Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, just one mile south-west of Manchester city centre, is very different from the other properties described in this article with their gardens and parklands. This is a Victorian middle-class town house, with a small garden. However this is where the author Elizabeth Gaskell spent her prolific writing years in the mid-19th Century, producing here her best known novels Cranford and North and South. It is now a museum celebrating her life and that of her husband, William Gaskell, a Unitarian Minister.
Previous Articles
We have previously provided fuller articles on several of these properties. These can be reached by clicking on the individual property’s name above. If there is no previous article, you will be directed to the property’s website.
Entry to these properties can cost up to £15 or more.
However if you take up annual membership with Historic Houses, you will get free entry, plus free entry to 300 other heritage sites, including some of the top sites in the country, such as Hever Castle, Waddesdon Manor and Raby Castle.
Enter our unique code STEW05 at ‘Add discount code’ and new members will receive a £5 discount. This also applies if you wish to give annual membership as a gift.
• For a £5 discount on new membership, use code STEW05 on the Historic Houses website.
• To get a £10 National Trust gift card with membership by direct debit, click on National Trust.
Free-to-visit Historic Houses in Cheshire and Lancashire
*** Special Offer: For a £5 discount on Historic Houses membership use code STEW05 ***
Within the traditional counties of Cheshire and Lancashire there are fifteen exceptional heritage properties that are free-to-visit for members of Historic Houses. These range from magnificent stately homes to picturesque gardens and parkland.
Seven of these properties are in Cheshire and eight are in Lancashire, including one in what is now Greater Manchester.
Opening times vary widely between the properties, with some only open for a few days a year. So it is important to check a property’s website before setting off to visit.
It should be noted that house opening days and times are often much less than for their surrounding gardens and parkland.
Cheshire
There are seven free-to-visit properties in Cheshire and for six of these properties the houses can be visited as well as the gardens and parkland.
Arley Hall, near Northwich, has been the home of the Warburton family since the 12th Century. However the present house, built in a so-called Jacobethan style, only dates back to the mid-19th Century, as do the gardens with their impressive herbaceous borders. Key features to observe when touring the Hall are the ornate fireplaces, stained glass and elaborate ceilings.
Bramall Hall, near Stockport, is a striking example of a timber-framed Tudor Manor House, with parts dating back to the 14th Century. A tour of the house features 16th Century wall paintings, elaborate plaster ceilings and furnishings which illustrate well the separation between the family rooms and the servants’ rooms below. There are terraced gardens in front of the house and 70 acres of parkland with woodland and riverside walks.
Capesthorne Hall, near Macclesfield, was built in the early 18th Century in a Neoclassical style. Within the Hall, in addition to a large collection of fine art, there is antique furniture collected by the family from around the world. Parkland of 100 acres includes lakeside gardens and woodland walks.
Cholmondeley Castle Gardens, near Nantwich are open to visitors, but not the castle itself. However there is still much to see in the castle grounds, including the Rose Garden, the Temple Water Garden and the Folly Gardens along with woodland rambles by Tower Hill and Deer Park Mere.
Peover Hall, near Knutsford, is a charming Elizabethan house built by the Mainwaring family in 1585, but with many alterations since. During World War II it was the HQ for General Patton. Particularly notable on a hall tour is the fine oak panelling. The Carolean stable block has unusual Tuscan columns and decorated ceiling. The hall is surrounded by formal gardens and landscaped parkland.
Rode Hall & Gardens, near Congleton, is an early 18th Century country house in an estate owned by the Wilbraham family since 1669. The hall tour reveals a large collection of fine porcelain along with period paintings and elaborate furnishings. The gardens, set within a Repton landscape, include a two acre walled kitchen garden and a new Italian garden.
Tatton Park, near Knutsford, contains a medieval Old Hall as well as the massive Neoclassical Mansion, which dates back to 1716. The mansion contains a wide range of paintings by famous artists, including Canaletto and Van Dyke, plus many fine examples of furniture by Gillows of Lancaster.In addition to 50 acres of landscaped gardens, there is 1,000 acre deer park, home to two herds of deer.
Lancashire
There are seven free-to-visit properties in Lancashire and for six of these properties the houses can be visited as well as the gardens and parkland.
Browsholme Hall, near Clitheroe in the Forest of Bowland, is considered the oldest surviving family home in Lancashire, being owned by the Parker family since 1507. The one hour tour of this fine Tudor house with its magnificent architecture and beautifully decorated rooms covers three storeys. The gardens include a parterre and a yew walk. These lead on to parkland with a lakeside walk.
Gresgarth Hall, east of Lancaster, only has the gardens open to visitors and not the hall itself. However these are exceptional gardens, which won the Historic Houses Garden of the Year: Judges’ Choice Award 2020. The 12 acre gardens are in a small river valley with terraces of flowers descending to a lake. There is a constant background sound of water throughout the gardens.
Hoghton Tower, near Blackburn, dates back to 1565 and is the ancestral home of the de Hoghton family. It was badly damaged during the Civil War, with the tower, which gave the property its name, being destroyed and never replaced. The house tour takes about one and half hours starting in several finely decorated rooms, including one used as a bedroom when James I visited 1n 1617, and finishing in some dark dungeons below the house. At 650ft above sea level there are panoramic views from the Wild Garden, Rose Garden and Rampart Garden.
Leighton Hall, in the hills of North Lancashire near Carnforth, is the ancestral home of the Gillow furniture family, mentioned above at Tatton Park. It is an unstuffy house, with visitors invited to touch things, sit on furniture and relax as they explore – similar to Chillingham Castle in Northumbria. The hall was built in Georgian style in about 1760. There is a walled garden leading to a woodland walk with the Lake District hills in the background.
Lytham Hall, is an 18th Century Palladian style country house one mile from the centre of the seaside town of Lytham. The house tour covers the ground and first floors with fine furnishings, portraits and artwork along the way. There is a small attractive Italianate garden to the front of the house and 78 acres of wooded parkland including two lakes.
Martholme, near Accrington, is a Manor House by the River Calder with parts dating back to the 13th Century, although the main house construction was in 1577. A two storey Gatehouse was added around this time. There is a timber-framed kitchen range, walled outer courtyard and dry moat.
Towneley Hall, near Burnley, was built in about 1400 and was owned by the Towneley family for about 500 years. It has been owned by Burnley Council since 1901 and acts as the areas main Art Gallery and Museum. There is a wide range of 19th Century paintings on display, plus an Egyptology collection and a Decorative Arts Room. It is set in 400 acres of parkland. Some of this area is taken up with golf courses, although there is space left for a small formal garden and woodland walks.
Greater Manchester
Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, just one mile south-west of Manchester city centre, is very different from the other properties described in this article with their gardens and parklands. This is a Victorian middle-class town house, with a small garden. However this is where the author Elizabeth Gaskell spent her prolific writing years in the mid-19th Century, producing here her best known novels Cranford and North and South. It is now a museum celebrating her life and that of her husband, William Gaskell, a Unitarian Minister.
Previous Articles
We have previously provided fuller articles on several of these properties. These can be reached by clicking on the individual property’s name above. If there is no previous article, you will be directed to the property’s website.
See also: Free-to-visit Historic Houses in the West Midlands Region.
Entry to these properties can cost up to £15 or more.
However if you take up annual membership with Historic Houses, you will get free entry, plus free entry to 300 other heritage sites, including some of the top sites in the country, such as Hever Castle, Waddesdon Manor and Raby Castle.
Enter our unique code STEW05 at ‘Add discount code’ and new members will receive a £5 discount. This also applies if you wish to give annual membership as a gift.
We have reviewed several other properties under Historic Houses and see also Historic Houses versus National Trust – Which to join?
POSTED 22nd AUGUST 2026 by STEVE HANSON. The photographs were taken by BARBARA HANSON.