Burton Agnes Hall was built by Sir Henry Griffith in 1601-10 to designs by Robert Smythson. In 1654, the estate passed to Sir Henry’s nephew Sir Francis Boynton.

Celia Fiennes visited during her tour of the British Isles in 1697: ‘We enter under a Gate house built with 4 large towers to a Court, which is large, in the middle is a Bowling green palidado’d round, and the Coaches runns round it to the Entrance which is by 10 stepps up to a Tarress, and thence a pav’d walke to the house, cut box and filleroy and lawrell about the Court….the Gardens are large and are capable of being made very fine, they now remaine in the old fashion. There is gravell walks and grass and Close walks, there is one walke all the length of the Garden called the Crooked Walke, of grass well cutt and rowled, it is indented in and out in corners, and so is the wall, which makes you thinke you are at the end off the walke severall tymes before you are, by means of the Codling hedge that is on the other side. This leads you to a Summer house that also open to a large gravell walke that runns the breadth of the Garden to the house ward.’

Further improvements were made by Sir Griffith Boynton in 18th century who diverted the road and created a sunken ha-ha. The woodland gardens previously known as The Grove, were also added.

The aviary was added in the late 19th century.

The architect Francis Johnson designed the rectangular ponds to the east of the house in 1970s. He also designed the garden house at the front of the hall and the swimming pool pavilion.

On the death of Marcus Wykham-Boynton in 1989, Susan Cunliffe-Lister took over the management of the hall on behalf of her young son, Simon. She transformed the old walled kitchen garden into a ‘New Elizabethan Garden’ with a series of small gardens including a potager, herbaceous border, fruit border, jungle garden and a maze.

The Manor House or Old Hall was built by Roger de Stuteville between 1170 and 1180 and is managed by English Heritage – see English Heritage’s website for opening times. He named the house and the village after one of his daughters. The hall passed by marriage to the Somervilles and in c1323, Joan Somerville married Rhys ap Gruffud. Their descendant Sir Walter Griffith is said to have restored the Old Hall adding its present roof in 15th century. It was partly rebuilt in brick in the early 18th century and converted into a laundry.