Newburgh Priory

Newburgh started as an Augustinian priory in 1145 and became a house when Henry VIII sold it off at the Dissolution to one of his chaplains for 1,062 pounds. It has stayed in the same family line ever since, which is the thing that makes a visit here different from a National Trust day out. Rooms are hung with family portraits, the porcelain belongs to the people who live with it, and the tearoom cakes are baked by the family. Queen Mary stayed here. And the house carries one of the better English legends: that the remains of Oliver Cromwell were brought to Newburgh and lie here still. Nobody can prove it, which is rather the point.

The catch is the calendar. Newburgh is a private home and an exclusive use venue for weddings and events, and it opens to the public only on a short run of selected days in April, May and June.

From Tea Time Cafe on the market place, head south east out of Thirsk on the lanes towards Thormanby and Coxwold, or run down the A19 and cut across. Newburgh sits just outside Coxwold village, about eight miles and 20 minutes from the market place, with parking on site.

The seasonal Moorsbus M5 links Thirsk with Coxwold, so a bus and walk combination is possible if an open day falls on a weekend in the bus season. In 2026 the M5 ran on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays from 3 April to 27 September. In practice most visitors drive, and given how few days the house opens, the car gives you the flexibility to move if plans change.

Take the house first: family portraits, porcelain, and the rooms of a place that has been lived in continuously rather than curated. Then the grounds. The water garden and the secret garden are the highlights, the lake gives you a walk, and the lawns are wide enough that children can be let loose without anyone minding. Finish in the tearoom, which is the sort of operation where the cake list depends on who was baking that morning. The historic priory clock has recently been restored, and the family have been showing it off.

The family connection runs through everything, and it is what visitors remember. It is somebody's home, lived in by the same family line, opened up a few days a year. The gardens punch above their reputation, particularly the water garden. And the Cromwell story, true or not, gives the visit a hook that children take to instantly.

Check the dates before you do anything else. The open season runs across April, May and June only, the exact days are not something we can confirm in advance, and a wasted drive here is a real risk if you assume. The official site and the priory's Facebook page are the places to look. Bring cash as well as a card, since a small family operation is not always set up the way a big attraction is. Pair it with Shandy Hall in Coxwold, which opens from 1 May, and Byland Abbey, which is free and five minutes away; the three together make a proper day in this corner. If the weather turns, the house and tearoom carry you, but the gardens are the reason to come, so a dry day is worth waiting for.