Middlethorpe Hall & Spa Review: A Country House Escape in York

Thinking about visiting Middlethorpe Hall and Spa? Between its historic bedrooms and drawing rooms, fine dining and acres of gardens, here’s everything you need to know to decide if this historic country house hotel is worth the stay.

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England has no shortage of grand historic homes. Keeping them, on the other hand, has proved difficult if you look at a bit of history.

As family fortunes changed and the cost of maintaining all those bedrooms, grand staircases and acres of gardens grew, plenty of country houses faced an uncertain future.

But a lucky few found another life as hotels, opening up rooms that were once reserved for an entirely different sort of guest.

One of them is Middlethorpe Hall, a red-brick William and Mary country house just outside York, built between 1699 and 1701 for Thomas Barlow, a successful master cutler who fancied life as a country gentleman.

Among its later residents were the writer Lady Mary Wortley Montagu and Fanny Wilkinson, a pioneer of professional landscape gardening.

After being restored as a hotel, Middlethorpe became part of a rather lovely arrangement: in 2008, Historic House Hotels and its three properties were gifted to the National Trust, with profits benefiting the charity.

I’ve already stayed at the other two, Bodysgallen Hall & Spa in North Wales and Hartwell House & Spa in Buckinghamshire, so I was especially keen to see how Middlethorpe compared.

Shall we?

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Quick Verdict: Is Middlethorpe Hall and Spa Worth It?

For me, yes. But much like its sister properties, Middlethorpe Hall is a hotel you book for the pleasure of being there, not simply somewhere to leave your bags while you explore York.

Between the elegant rooms, a very memorable dinner, afternoon tea and 20 acres of grounds, I’d happily recommend it to anyone who loves a historic hotel. If you’re planning to spend every hour out in the city, you’d be missing much of what makes a stay here worthwhile.

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The Rooms

If you love staying in a historic house, the bedrooms are every bit as much of the experience as the drawing rooms downstairs.

Ours had a gorgeous canopy bed, antique furniture, a writing desk and windows looking out towards the gardens. Essentially, the sort of room that makes you want to sit down with a book and forget your plans for the afternoon.

The style throughout is more 18th-century country house than Victorian, with antiques, paintings and all the character you’d hope to find in a house that’s been standing for more than 300 years. And unlike a hotel designed around matching rooms, there’s plenty of variety here.

The hotel has 29 bedrooms and suites, spread between the main house, the neighbouring 18th-century courtyard and former cottages.

Not every bedroom has a four-poster bed, so if you have your heart set on one, have a good look at the main-house room categories before you book.

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Dinner at Middlethorpe Hall

We got dressed up for dinner, which, in a house like Middlethorpe, felt only right. Don’t worry, gentlemen, you aren’t obliged to wear a jacket and tie, although the restaurant does ask guests to dress smartly (so perhaps leave the trainers behind).

I particularly loved that the evening didn’t begin at the dining-room table. Instead, we settled into one of the drawing rooms with a glass of wine and a game of chess first.

Then it was through to the panelled dining room, where we started with hot vichyssoise with leek, black truffle and Parmesan. For mains, we had Yorkshire lamb with garden peas, Jersey Royals and smoked butter, and aged beef fillet with black garlic and oyster mushrooms. Finishing with a crisp apple-and-vanilla tart.

The quality of the cooking genuinely had me checking afterwards whether the restaurant had a Michelin star. It doesn’t, but it does hold two AA Rosettes, which felt thoroughly deserved.

The hotel’s seasonal dinner menu changes seasonally, so have a look at what’s being served for your stay (on our visit, two courses were £69 and three were £89, with a discretionary 12.5% service charge).

And of course, we got to enjoy the incredible advantage of dining in-house, ending with petit fours and an espresso before heading straight upstairs to bed.

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Afternoon Tea in the Drawing Room

I’d also make room for afternoon tea, even if you’re only staying one night. The traditional tea is currently £40 per person, plus a discretionary service charge.

There was a wedding on during our visit, so we had ours in a separate drawing room, surrounded by old portraits and beautiful furnishings. It made an already lovely afternoon feel a little like we’d been invited into someone’s rather grand home for tea…

The traditional afternoon tea comes with finger sandwiches, a savoury pastry, scones with clotted cream and preserves, and a selection of little cakes and patisserie.

And the teas deserve a mention of their own. I particularly enjoyed the Jasmine Dawn, blended with jasmine, rose and vanilla, and the Vanilla Chai. A very lovely way to spend an afternoon surrounded by paintings and absolutely nowhere else you need to be.

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The Gardens

Whilst here, the grounds deserve more than a quick look out of your bedroom window. Middlethorpe has 20 acres of gardens and parkland, with a walled kitchen garden, rose garden, white garden and a little lake further into the grounds.

One of my favourite details is the old dovecote in the kitchen garden, dating back to 1681 and now used as a wine cellar. The garden also produces fruit for the hotel kitchen, which feels rather fitting for a house where food is such a big part of the visit.

All three Historic House Hotels are lovely for a post-breakfast wander, although I’ll still give the prize for my favourite gardens to Bodysgallen Hall. But Middlethorpe’s are very beautiful in their own right.

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Breakfast

Breakfast will be had in the same dining room as dinner, although things feel decidedly more relaxed in the morning.

I have an unspoken rule of ordering a full English whenever I’m staying at an English hotel and Middlethorpe’s Yorkshire breakfast certainly didn’t disappoint, with eggs, grilled bacon, a local pork sausage, roasted vine tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms and crispy black pudding.

There’s also pastries, porridge, fruit and yoghurt if you fancy something lighter, alongside dishes like smoked salmon with scrambled eggs or poached haddock.

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The Spa

Just before we left, we popped into the spa, tucked away from the main house behind the façades of two listed Edwardian cottages.

Inside you’ll find a 12-metre indoor pool looking out onto its own garden, a spa bath, sauna and steam room, with treatment rooms upstairs and a small gym in a restored summer house. It’s not an enormous destination spa, but I actually liked that about it.

We only popped in before leaving, but if you fancy a treatment, I’d book ahead.

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The Location: Countryside Feels & York on Your Doorstep

One thing I particularly liked about Middlethorpe is its connection to York. We usually drive for our historic hotel breaks, but this time we took the train, and it was surprisingly easy to combine a country house stay with time in the city.

The hotel is on Bishopthorpe Road, around two miles south of the centre. We happened to be visiting on Halloween, and a roughly ten-minute Uber took us from the calm of Middlethorpe into the pub-fuelled chaos of York for the evening. It was entertaining, to say the least.

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Final Thoughts: Would I Stay at Middlethorpe Hall Again?

Absolutely. But I’d only recommend it to a particular kind of traveller.

If you’re coming to York and solely need somewhere to rest your head between sightseeing, this probably isn’t the hotel for you.

If, on the other hand, you want the property itself to be part of the trip, with historic rooms, a fabulous dinner, afternoon tea and gardens you can disappear into after breakfast, I think you’ll love it.

Having now stayed at all three National Trust Historic House Hotels, I’ve found each has its own reason to visit. For me, Bodysgallen still has the edge on gardens, Hartwell has extraordinary royal history and Middlethorpe makes a very persuasive case with its food, beautiful rooms and access to York.

Have the loveliest time.

Happy travels,

Candace x

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Practical Booking Details

• Address: Bishopthorpe Road, York YO23 2GB
• Room prices: From £205 per night for a single room and £320 for a double or twin. Rates vary by date.
• Check-in: 3pm
• Check-out: 11.30am
• What’s included: Cooked Yorkshire breakfast, spa access, Wi-Fi and parking when booking directly.
• Getting there: Around 10 minutes by taxi from York city centre.
• Booking: Check Middlethorpe Hall & Spa prices and availability.

P.S. – Although Middlethorpe Hall belongs to the National Trust, a standard National Trust membership doesn’t automatically include access to the house and gardens. These are primarily for hotel guests and other paying visitors.

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FAQ: Middlethorpe Hall and Spa

Is Middlethorpe Hall owned by the National Trust?

Yes. It’s one of the three Historic House Hotels gifted to the National Trust in 2008, alongside Bodysgallen Hall and Hartwell House. The hotels continue to operate as Historic House Hotels, with profits supporting the charity.

Does Middlethorpe Hall have a swimming pool?

Yes. The spa has a 12-metre indoor pool, a spa bath, sauna and steam room. Spa access is included if you book direct.

How far is Middlethorpe Hall from York city centre?

The hotel is around two miles south of central York. We took an Uber into the city during our stay, so you don’t need a car to combine the hotel with a visit to York.

What time is check-in and check-out at Middlethorpe Hall?

Check-in is from 3pm, and check-out is by 11.30am.

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