A rambling Palladian manor opens for group stays in the Dales

The Grade I-listed Georgian pile at the heart of the Denton Reserve, outside Ilkley in Yorkshire, was built as a monument to stately 18th-century living. Today it is, as they say, a mood. Redesigned by London’s Box 9, the Palladian hall is drenched in gothic colour that rather belies the country-house look. Traditional furnishings have been swapped for low, sexy seating, crisp horizontal lines broken up with irreverent details. Ten en suite bedrooms have been carved out with super-king beds. These interventions don’t come cheap — Denton Hall still costs in the mid four figures to hire for a night. Yet the restorative effect of all this quiet luxury is incalculable. The designers call it ‘a dance of balance’.

Designed 250 years ago by John Carr, the hall underwent months of conservation to expose its finer details. Only then could the classic proportions be subverted. Lou Davies and Caroline Hunter of Box 9 say they treated new, curvaceous furnishings as ‘sculptural insertions’ that float freely on the hand-aged oak floors like contemporary art. Using local, sustainable and reclaimed materials in palettes drawn from heather, stone and moss, they heightened the connection with Denton’s 2,500-acre grounds and optimised flow within the established layout. ‘We dared to empty the Hall so it could breathe again,’ says Davies. ‘Our mission was to quieten the building, to let it breathe and to create space for pause and reconnection. Every design decision was weighed against its impact — environmental, emotional and aesthetic.’

A few hero pieces stand out: the reception table crafted in storm-felled British oak by Ted Jefferis; a 4m chandelier woven by Studio Amos from moor-harvested heather. A Bilbao table by Leleni Studio, placed in the lounge as a centrepiece, was crafted from industrial waste offcuts. Elsewhere, guests will appreciate the pure wool upholsteries, vegetable-dyed leathers, custom desks and cabinetry made from 100% post-consumer plastic. The designers ensured every piece would nod to the carbon-capturing ethos of the wider nature reserve, currently undergoing rewilding efforts. ‘Every single piece and material had to leave a legacy of positive change,’ says Davies, ‘whether through sustainability, supporting a maker, empowering an emerging studio or championing innovation. If it didn’t have the potential to restore landscapes, lives or our relationship with craft, it didn’t come through the doors.’

Grand interventions in the home seem rather delicate in rooms of such impressive proportions — like the monolithic steel island and chocolate Valchromat joinery in the panelled kitchen. Only here does the design romanticise contemporary sleekness. Elsewhere texture reigns, from cork cladding to wall paint mixed with crushed olive stones.

The main hall is now available for exclusive hire, including five additional bedrooms in the west wing; 15 additional rooms will open in the east wing later this year. Look out for Box 9’s upcoming capsule furniture collaboration with Ted Jefferis, launching in 2026.