Discover Castle Ashby: Buildings and Gardens

Explore Castle Ashby through its different visitor attractions: historic buildings, the Gardens with their menagerie, and the arboretum. The buildings tell the story of different centuries; the gardens combine landscaped grounds with wildlife watching and botanical highlights. You can plan your visit around whether you are most interested in architecture, gardens or a circular walk.

Historic buildings in Castle Ashby

The large, listed Castle Ashby house is Grade I listed and dates from the late 16th and 17th centuries. Its date differs from the building history of the Church of St Mary Magdalen: this church is also Grade I listed, but its fabric dates from the 14th and 15th centuries and has even earlier origins. Those interested in the history of the buildings will find two distinct periods represented here.

Gardens, menagerie and arboretum

A garden ticket provides access to the Gardens and the Castle Ashby menagerie. The animals there include meerkats, pigs, marmosets, a miniature pony, birds and pygmy goats. The menagerie’s inhabitants may change, so the presence of any particular animal species should not be taken as guaranteed.

When booking a garden ticket online, you select an arrival time slot. After that, you can stay in the gardens for as long as you like. This gives you flexibility over the length of your visit, while your arrival remains tied to the booked time slot.

The Castle Ashby Arboretum dates from the 1860s. It is home to a weeping beech that is considered possibly the largest in the United Kingdom. This qualification is part of what makes it noteworthy: the claim is not presented as a confirmed record.

Cedar Lodge is a wildlife-watching hut by a pond, offering wide views across Capability Brown’s parkland. It offers a different experience from the menagerie: the focus here is on watching wildlife in the landscape.

The garden features also have their own history. The Terrace Gardens were completed in 1864 to designs by W. B. Thomas. The Orangery, also known as the Palm House, was designed by Sir Matthew Digby Wyatt and dates from 1872. Together with the arboretum dating from the 1860s, these dates provide a timeline for the different features without suggesting that they were all created at the same time.

Plan your circular walk and journey

The Castle Ashby Circular walking route runs mostly along unpaved paths and includes several uphill sections; conditions may vary. Take both features into account when planning your walk, and check the trail conditions relevant to your visit before setting out.

The nearest bus stop to Castle Ashby Gardens is in Yardley Hastings, about 2 miles away. The walk from there takes 47 minutes. As public transport information can change, it is advisable to check the details before travelling.

First consider whether the buildings, the Gardens and menagerie, or the circular walk will be the main focus of your visit; then compare the specific details of the available hotel offers.

Discover more destinations: Kettering, Harringworth, Byfield, Roade, Maidford, Crick, Wollaston, Sulgrave.

Go to the broader travel overview: Northamptonshire.