BOLTON ABBEY ESTATE
Centred around Bolton Priory is the Yorkshire home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. It offers 80 miles of footpaths in a landscape that inspired Wordsworth, Turner and Landseer.
Published access details; Public paths or open-access land described; Watch: undertaking summary is generic.
- Published access details
- Public paths or open-access land described
- Email contact published
- Undertaking summary is generic
Access
Directions: On the B6160 north from the junction with the A59 on the Skipton to Harrogate Road. Public access is available all year on the public roads and permissive footpaths and bridleways shown on the map. Buildings in the grounds include in particular the following shown by letter on the insert map: A - Bolton Priory B - The Tithe Barn C - The Perimeter Wall D - The Aqueduct E - The Mill F - The Priory Ruins G - The Old Rectory and Boyle Room and the following shown on the main map: Barden Tower The Priest's House Barden Chapel Note: there is no interior access to The Boyle Room, The Rectory or The Mill, and access to the inside of The Priest's House is available only when visiting the restaurant established there. ACCESS DETAILS Access is available all year round
Access notes
Neutral, reviewed context from visitor reports, official sources or reputable reporting. These notes are not a finding that an owner has breached an undertaking.
Named in reporting on land-relief public-benefit debate
The Guardian named Bolton Abbey estate in 2024 coverage of campaigner concerns about land-designated heritage assets, shooting estates and whether the public benefit justifies the tax relief. This note does not allege access refusal.
Source: The Guardian ↗ · 2024-10-29
FOI request sought the Heritage Landscape Management Plan
A 2021 WhatDoTheyKnow request argued that the public register did not give enough detail about access provided in return for the exemption and sought Bolton Abbey Estate's Heritage Landscape Management Plan. HMRC refused the request under taxpayer-confidentiality grounds. This is a transparency note, not a finding about access refusal.
Source: WhatDoTheyKnow / HMRC response ↗ · 2021-07-01