Harlaxton Manor, perched near Grantham in Lincolnshire, is a breathtaking Victorian mansion that beautifully fuses Gothic, Elizabethan, Jacobean, and Baroque design. Commissioned in the 1830s by the eccentric and wealthy businessman Gregory Gregory, it was crafted by leading architects Anthony Salvin, William Burn, and Edward Blore to create a dramatic stately home unlike any other in England. Built in Ancaster limestone, its monumental façade and theatrical interiors showcase bold architectural ambition and the eclectic tastes of its owner.
The estate sits amid formal gardens designed in the 19th century, highlighted by French-style terraces, an Italian garden, a Dutch canal, and winding English landscape walks. Within lies one of Britain’s largest walled gardens, around 6.5 acres in size and once used to cultivate exotic fruit and vegetables in heated compartments – some of the earliest innovations in horticultural design. The development of the gardens was driven by Gregory’s passion for architecture and horticulture and remains a point of restoration and future activity today.
During World War II it was requisitioned by the War Office, serving as the officers’ mess for RAF Harlaxton and as headquarters for the 1st Airborne Division. After the war, the Jesuit order owned the property before it began its current life in the 1960s as a UK campus for American universities. Since 1971, the property has been used by the University of Evansville as Harlaxton College, with ownership transferred fully in 1986.
Public access is limited, but the manor hosts occasional open days such as the annual Summer Open House over the August bank holiday, when visitors can tour the opulent interiors, walled gardens, and meet study-abroad students. Weddings, corporate events, and film productions often use the grand staterooms, and Harlaxton has featured in films such as The Haunting and The Last Days of Patton.
Today, Harlaxton Manor majestically blends mid-19th-century architectural grandeur with educational purpose. Its dramatic approach through gated terraces, mirrored canals, ornamental lake, walled garden, and sweeping lawns guarantees a memorable visitor experience, whether during a rare open weekend or as part of a special event.
Photos courtesy of Harlaxton Manor, Visit Lincolnshire, and Historic Houses.
