Castle hotel
Swinton Park Hotel
Masham, North Yorkshire
Level 4 Castle-Style MansionLevel 4: a house begun in 1695 and remodelled in the 1820s with turrets, castellations and a round tower, without a real defensive history. Guests sleep in the main house and a separate Coach House.
Some rooms inside the walls
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Swinton Park Hotel is a castle hotel near Masham, North Yorkshire, on a 20,000-acre estate. It began as a house in 1695 and was remodelled with a round tower, turrets and castellations in the early 1820s, making it a Level 4 castle-style mansion. It suits guests wanting a spa, grounds and dog-friendly rooms on a working estate rather than a genuine medieval fortress.
Quick facts
- Castle Authenticity Scale
- Level 4: Castle-Style Mansion
- Where you sleep
- Some rooms inside the walls
- Built
- 1695, remodelled in 1764 to 1767 and transformed in the early 1820s
- Architecture
- Castellated country house with a round tower and turrets, remodelled by Robert Lugar
- Heritage status
- Grade II* listed
- Rooms
- 42
- Star rating
- Four-star (Booking.com)
- Guest rating
- 8.8 out of 10 on Booking.com (September 2026)
- Dogs
- Dogs are welcome across most of the accommodation on the Swinton Estate for a nightly fee, with a bed, chews, bowls and poo bags provided, according to the estate's own website. (hotel policy)
- Restaurant
- Yes (hotel website)
- Weddings
- Yes (hotel website)
- Listed on Booking.com
- Spa, Swimming pool, Hot tub, EV charging point, Restaurant, Family rooms, Parking, Free wifi
- Last checked
- September 2026
The story
The story of Swinton Park Hotel
Swinton Park Hotel stands on the Swinton Estate, about a kilometre south west of Masham in North Yorkshire, within the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The house probably originated in 1695, when Sir Abstrupus Danby built a new residence, according to its Grade II* listing entry.
The house was remodelled for William Danby by the architect John Carr between 1764 and 1767, with further work by John Foss of Richmond in 1791. In the early 1820s, the architect Robert Lugar transformed the building, adding turrets, castellations, a large round tower and a porte-cochere, giving it the castle-like appearance it has today.
The building is Grade II* listed and now operates as a 42-room hotel on the wider Swinton Estate, which covers around 20,000 acres of countryside, according to the estate's own website.
The sleep
Rooms at Swinton Park Hotel
The estate's own website lists 42 bedrooms and suites split between the main hotel building and a separate Coach House. Signature suites in the main house include the Wensleydale, Colsterdale, York and Turret suites, with room categories named Barons, Knights and Dukes.
Many rooms and suites can interconnect, which the estate says suits families travelling with children of different ages.
Rooms in the Coach House sit in a separate building from the main castellated house, so guests wanting to stay specifically inside the historic house itself should check which building a room is in when booking.
The table
Eating at Swinton Park Hotel
Swinton Park has an on-site restaurant, according to the estate's own website, alongside function rooms used for private dining and events.
The grounds
Around Swinton Park Hotel
The hotel sits within the wider Swinton Estate, which covers about 20,000 acres of countryside in the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, extending around 10 miles west from the River Ure near Masham, according to the estate's own website.
The estate includes a Spa and Country Club with an 18-yard indoor pool, a hydrotherapy pool, steam rooms and a sauna, plus an outdoor pool and sauna in the spa garden.
What we'd flag
What we'd flag
- Not all 42 rooms are in the main castellated house. Some are in a separate Coach House building, so ask which building your room is in if sleeping inside the historic house matters to you.
Who it's for
Who Swinton Park Hotel suits
Swinton Park suits families and groups wanting interconnecting rooms, spa facilities and grounds on a large working estate, as well as dog owners, since dogs are welcome in most accommodation for a fee. It is less suited to anyone specifically seeking a medieval castle, since the building's castle-like appearance dates mainly from an 1820s remodelling rather than an earlier fortified history.
Where Swinton Park Hotel is.
Map tiles from OpenStreetMap.
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Swinton Park Hotel: questions
Is Swinton Park a real castle?
No, not in the medieval sense. The house at Swinton Park probably began in 1695 and was remodelled in the early 1820s by the architect Robert Lugar, who added the turrets, castellations and round tower that give it a castle-like appearance today.
Who built Swinton Park?
The house probably originated in 1695 under Sir Abstrupus Danby, was remodelled by John Carr in the 1760s and by John Foss in 1791, and was given its current castle-like form by the architect Robert Lugar in the early 1820s, according to its Grade II* listing entry.
Are dogs allowed at Swinton Park?
Yes. According to the estate's own website, dogs are welcome across most of the accommodation on the Swinton Estate for a nightly fee, and are provided with a bed, chews, bowls and poo bags.
Can you get married at Swinton Park?
Yes. The estate's own website describes a civil wedding licence and five function rooms used for weddings, meetings and events.
Sources and checks
Last checked: September 2026. We checked these sources for this page. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
- historicengland.org.uk: build date, architects, remodelling history, listing grade
- swintonestate.com: spa facilities, weddings, restaurant
- swintonestate.com: number of rooms, Coach House, signature suites, interconnecting rooms
- swintonestate.com: estate size and location