Harewood House
One of England's finest houses with close connections to the Royal Family.
Harewood, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS17 9LG
Facilities
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Accessible loos
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Accessible parking
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Cafe / restaurant
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Facilities for children
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Free parking
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Good journey mark
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Mostly wheelchair accessible
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Parkland / open spaces
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Pet friendly
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Picnic area
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Shop
Wheelchair Hire
Wheelchairs can be hired from the House or Visitor Infomation in the Courtyard. There are five wheelchairs available to hire daily.
Read more about Harewood’s Access arrangements here.
House
Harewood House, built in the 1760s by Edwin Lascelles, is renowned for its magnificent Robert Adam interiors.
It is also home to superb Thomas Chippendale furniture and a world class collection of paintings by, amongst others, JMW Turner, Joshua Reynolds, Tiziano Veccelli (Titian) and Domenikos Theotokopoulos (known as El Greco).
It has been home to the Lascelles family since it was built, reflecting the changing tastes and styles of the past 250 years. Harewood House is also home to the first contemporary art gallery to be opened in a country house. The Terrace Gallery hosts a changing programme of exhibitions and has welcomed artists including Sir Sidney Nolan, Antony Gormley, and Henry Moore.
Grounds and Gardens
Just outside the house, an Italianate Terrace, designed by Sir Charles Barry in the 1840s, stretches along the southern aspect of the House and provides stunning views over Yorkshire’s most beautiful landscape and lake. Crafted by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, Harewood’s landscape encompasses over 1000 acres and represents one of Brown’s most famous vistas.
Away from the formal gardens, Harewood also boasts the naturalistic Himalayan Garden which was redeveloped by Head Gardener, Trevor Nicholson. Harewood’s Himalayan Garden, a redevelopment of the ‘Rock Garden’ nurtured by Princess Mary and her husband the 6th Earl of Harewood in the 1930s, is this extraordinary world in miniature, a plant-hunter’s paradise.
A far cry from the formality of the Terrace, this space includes rare and exotic plants from Himalayan region.
Take a step back into nature with a walk around the Lakeside and end up at the beautiful Walled Garden, where various produce is grown to be used in the various catering facilities on site.
All Saints Church
The building that spans all of Harewood’s known history, from Norman times to the present day, is All Saints Church. The church was vested in the Redundant Churches Fund, now The Churches Conservation Trust, in 1978. Since then, the Trust has cared for and maintained the church, keeping it open for visitors and the community to enjoy.
Farm Experience
Join us and visit Harewood’s animal family. Young farmers can meet friendly alpacas, learn about our family of pygmy goats and see our pot-bellied pigs enjoy a spot of lunch. There are opportunities to talk to our keepers and see our giant rabbits too.
Woodland Wonderland
Take a break from the heat amongst the winding willow mazes, twisting and turning between the trees. Nestled next to the Church, our play space is just waiting for families to explore.
Sylvascope
The Sylvascope treehouse sits at the edge of the property, with windows that face out towards the woodland. It is made almost entirely from wood harvested from the site and is the perfect shady spot for a picnic.
Please note: The information on the Historic Houses website is advisory, but please always check the website of the house or garden you intend to visit before travelling.
Harewood is open 7 days a week (End of March – Start of Jan)
Harewood is open for Fri-Sun for Winter Weekends (Mid Jan – Mid March)
House
The House: 11am to 4pm
Terrace Tearoom: 11am to 4pm
Last entry to the House is 3.15pm
Elsewhere
Gardens and Grounds: 10am to 6pm
Woodland Wonderland: 10am to 6pm
Adventure Playground: 10am to 6pm
Farm Experience: 10am to 5.30pm
Courtyard Café: 10am to 5.30pm
Courtyard Shop: 10am to 5.30pm
Secondhand Bookshop: 10.30am to 4.30pm
Bothy Teahouse (may not be able to open in adverse weather): 10.30am to 4.30pm
Last entry to the Grounds is 5pm
Last entry to the Farm Experience is 5pm
Please note the Bird Garden closed to the public on Sun 19 Feb.
NB: Historic Houses members are only entitled to one free visit per calendar year at this property (Christmas opening not included). See details of how to book under ‘Admission’
Historic Houses members may visit Harewood for free once during the year.
Historic Houses members must book in advance and should use the promo code HHMEMBER in the discount/voucher code box on the checkout page and the discount will be applied. Membership cards must be shown on arrival.
Note: On the bookings page, you’ll need to scroll down the dates to see them all (they’re hidden at first sight).
Various visitor prices apply.
Groups of 12 or more that pre-book benefit from our reduced group rates.
The prices include entry to all attractions at Harewood – the State Rooms, Below Stairs, Terrace Gallery, Gardens, Farm Experience and Grounds.
Group organisers are admitted free of charge and as well as free entry and dedicated coach parking, the driver will receive a refreshment voucher to use in our courtyard cafe.
With tours available across the House, Gardens there’s something for every group to enjoy.
House Tours are available at 10.15AM, prior to the House opening, or at 3.15pm, after the House closes to the general public, giving your group exclusive access to the House to enjoy.
To book, please contact our friendly booking team or call 0113 218 1010.
Harewood is a wonderful place to learn, to enjoy being in nature and to feel inspired.
As an educational charity and accredited museum, our sessions are inspired by our amazing collections, objects and animals. There is so much to explore here, whether you are a family, a school group, community organisation or just someone eager to find out more.
To find out more about our formal and informal learning programme, please email us.
Wheelchair Hire
Wheelchairs can be hired from the House or Visitor Infomation in the Courtyard. There are five wheelchairs available to hire daily.
Read more about Harewood’s Access arrangements here.
Getting here
Harewood, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS17 9LG
Harewood, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS17 9LG
The village of Harewood is centrally placed in Yorkshire at the junction of the A61/A659 on the Leeds/Harrogate road.
Rail
Our nearest rail stations are Leeds and Harrogate. Taxis and bus connections are available.
Bus
There is an excellent bus service from Leeds and Harrogate.
No 36 to Harewood from Leeds and Harrogate runs every 15 minutes during the day Monday to Saturday, and every 30 minutes during the day on Sunday.
No 923 runs daily (except Sunday) and operates from Otley to Tadcaster via Wetherby. For more details please call Metro on 0113 245 7676. Alternatively, you can visit the Traveline Website for impartial information on planning your journey by bus, coach, train, or any combination of the three.
Train
Our nearest rail stations are Leeds and Harrogate. Taxis and bus connections are available.
What3Words
What3Words is a location app. Every 3 metre square of the world has been given a unique combination of three words that can be shared with friends and family, emergency services and more to pinpoint locations easily.
We have provided What3Words locations for key areas of our site to help you navigate your visit:
Entrance: ///enveloped.music.intelligible
The House:///turntable.pops.decorator
The Courtyard:///showcases.overruns.design
Harewood House & Gardens: In Pictures
Visiting Harewood’s stunning gardens
Outside, an Italianate Terrace, designed by Sir Charles Barry in the 1840s, stretches along the southern aspect of the House and provides stunning views over Yorkshire’s most beautiful landscape and lake. Crafted by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, Harewood’s landscape encompasses over 1000 acres and represents one of Brown’s most famous vistas.
Away from the formal gardens, Harewood also boasts the naturalistic Himalayan Garden which was redeveloped by Head Gardener, Trevor Nicholson. A far cry from the formality of the Terrace, this space includes rare and exotic plants from Himalayan region.
Art & Collections at Harewood House
Harewood House is home to an astounding collection of paintings, furniture and ceramics. Harewood has enjoyed a very special relationship with contemporary artists and craftspeople throughout its history.
Today Harewood is home to an astounding collection of paintings by masters of the Italian Renaissance, family portraits by Reynolds, Hoppner and Lawrence, and modern art collected by the current Earl and Countess. Edward ‘Beau’ Lascelles was a patron of JMW Turner, who came here as a young artist aged just 22 to paint the new house and its landscape. The family portraits were painted by the fashionable artists of the day and in the early 20th century the 6th Earl collected a number of Renaissance paintings.
Wrestling with the past
The ground that Harewood House was built on was bought by Henry Lascelles in 1738, using money from the West Indian sugar trade. The money came from owning plantations, slaves, ships and warehouses, a fact that was pervasive throughout British society at the time
Harewood: More than a country house
Harewood House: An idyllic wedding venue
Harewood is licensed to host civil ceremonies for up to 100 guests across a number of venues in the House itself, including the magnificent Gallery and the smaller, more intimate Steward’s Room or Billiard Room.
Getting here
Harewood, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS17 9LG
Harewood, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS17 9LG
The village of Harewood is centrally placed in Yorkshire at the junction of the A61/A659 on the Leeds/Harrogate road.
Rail
Our nearest rail stations are Leeds and Harrogate. Taxis and bus connections are available.
Bus
There is an excellent bus service from Leeds and Harrogate.
No 36 to Harewood from Leeds and Harrogate runs every 15 minutes during the day Monday to Saturday, and every 30 minutes during the day on Sunday.
No 923 runs daily (except Sunday) and operates from Otley to Tadcaster via Wetherby. For more details please call Metro on 0113 245 7676. Alternatively, you can visit the Traveline Website for impartial information on planning your journey by bus, coach, train, or any combination of the three.
Train
Our nearest rail stations are Leeds and Harrogate. Taxis and bus connections are available.
What3Words
What3Words is a location app. Every 3 metre square of the world has been given a unique combination of three words that can be shared with friends and family, emergency services and more to pinpoint locations easily.
We have provided What3Words locations for key areas of our site to help you navigate your visit:
Entrance: ///enveloped.music.intelligible
The House:///turntable.pops.decorator
The Courtyard:///showcases.overruns.design
Looking to visit Harewood House?
Harewood House is open to the public from April to October, daily from 10am to 5pm, with pre-booking essential. Historic Houses members can enjoy one free visit per calendar year (Christmas opening not included). Members interested in visiting Harewood should consider watching our online lecture about the history of Harewood, which is available to view in the members area of the website behind the login now.
If you’re interested in joining Historic Houses as a member, you can find out more about membership below. Members enjoy free access to almost three hundred independently owned historic houses across the UK for free using their membership card, as well as a quarterly magazine and monthly online lectures about the houses.
Other houses members can visit nearby
Temple Newsam House
Leeds, Yorkshire
Bramham Park
Wetherby, West Yorkshire, LS23 6ND
Allerton Castle
Allerton Park, near Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, HG5 0SE
Related links
Become a Historic Houses member
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Hundreds of the most beautiful historic houses, castles, and gardens across Britain offer our members free entry.
Also: receive a quarterly magazine, enjoy monthly online lectures, get exclusive invitations to buy tickets for behind-the-scenes tours, and take up a range of special offers on holidays, books, and other products you might like.