East Banqueting House

Chipping Campden

Overview

An extraordinary Jacobean building whose fine upper room opens onto a terrace overlooking the remains of Old Campden House. It makes a deceptively diminutive Landmark in a beautiful Cotswolds village.

  • CotCot
  • Fire or StoveFire or Stove
  • Open SpaceOpen Space
  • Logs availableLogs available
  • Parking AvailableParking Available
  • BathBath
  • MicrowaveMicrowave

Beds 2 Twin, 1 Double

Sleeps
4 +2
4 nights from
£596 equivalent to £24.83 per person, per night

A Chipping Campden Gem

When the Landmark Trust acquired the East Banqueting House in 1987 it was in a very decayed state. The roof was near to collapse, the west wall was bulging and the second floor was too dangerous to walk on. Most of the windows had been smashed and water was pouring down to the lower floors. Nowadays the East Banqueting House is a gem of a Landmark. It has a rich history and overlooks the atmospheric landscape of the stunning Cotswolds. It is a three-storey building which sleeps 4 built into a hill. There is a further twin bedroom and bathroom in one of the ancillary pepperpot lodges if you need some extra space.

Jacobean splendour

In 1613 the newly enriched Sir Baptist Hicks began work on a house here in Gloucestershire. It was designed in the latest Court fashion, which probably seemed rather flamboyant to local masons who were used to the simpler local architectural tradition. The East and West Banqueting Houses stand at either end of the broad terrace that ran along the garden in front of Old Campden House. They serve as a reminder of the richness and quality of the main house before it was razed to the ground. Today it is one of the most important Jacobean sites in the country and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The East Banqueting House is Grade II listed and is a site to behold and explore. To get to the Landmark, you leave your car in the former hen yard and walk across the site along a short grassy path. The town of Chipping Campden is popular with tourists and filled with interesting shops and good restaurants.

See all our Landmarks at Old Campden House

 

Floor Plan

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Map & local info

East Banqueting House stands surrounded by fields and facing the ruins of Old Campden House and the West Banqueting House beyond. A grand gateway connects you to Chipping Campden, a traditional Cotswold market town.

Experience one of the country's greatest gardens at Hidcote Manor, created by the talented horticulturalist Major Lawrence Johnston. Many of the plants you will see are from Johnston's frequent trips abroad, it is perfect to visit for some gardening inspiration. 

Broadway Tower was Capability Brown's brainchild, and still stands today as a magnificent Cotswold monument. Explore this fantastic historical building, once a holiday retreat for pre-Raphaelite artists, or use it as a base from which to walk and explore the beautiful surrounding countryside. 

Stratford-upon-Avon is within easy driving distance, where you can find shops, restaurants and cafes along the beautiful river. The world famous Royal Shakespeare Company is of course located in Stratford. Follow in the footsteps of decades of RSC stars (including Judy Dench and Peter O'Toole amongst many others) with a trip to the Dirty Duck pub before or after the show. 

Global Gathering Festival is just outside of Stratford-upon-Avon. 

Other nearby heritage attractions include Court Barn, Compton Verney (15.6 miles), Coughton Court (16.9 miles) and The Wilson, Cheltenham Art Gallery (21.9 miles).

Take a look at our Pinterest Map for more ideas and information on things to do during your stay at the East Banqueting House.

Please Note: The Landmark Trust does not take any responsibility and makes no warranties, representations or undertakings about the content of any website accessed by hypertext link. Links should not be taken as an endorsement of any kind. The Landmark Trust has no control over the availability of the linked pages.

See all our Landmarks at Old Campden House

Clear directions
Essential info
What you need to know about this building
  • No.
  • Via a driveway off the main road.  Once parked you walk approximately 75 yards across a field to the main property.
  • Moreton-in-Marsh – 9 miles.
  • There is parking for two to three cars at the entrance gates between the lodges.
  • There are electric night storage heaters and a coal burning stove.
  • Fuel may be purchased and delivered under a private arrangement. Further details will be provided with your booking confirmation.
  • To check up-to-date mobile network coverage in the area, visit signalchecker.co.uk. Due to the location and structure of many of our buildings, signal strength may differ to those indicated.
     
  • The majority of properties do not offer WiFi but many now have mobile coverage. Facilities in some properties rely on WiFi to function and we are currently piloting guest use of WiFi at a few of our buildings. We are going to extend the pilot across more properties and review customer feedback in 2025.
  • The kitchen is fully equipped with all plates, cutlery, fridge etc. There is also an electric cooker and a microwave.
  • There is one bathroom in the main house with a bath. There is an additional bathroom also with a bath in the North Lodge (short walk away).
  • Yes, the external steps to the main builiding are steep stone stairs with a handrail part of the way. Inside the main buliding there are steep stone stairs down to the double bedroom and up to the kitchen and then steep, winding wooden steps up to the living room. Inside the North Lodge there are steep, narrow, stone spiral stairs up to the bedroom.
  • There are open grounds.
  • Yes, the North Lodge is difficult to heat in winter.
  • Yes, there is a twin bedroom and bathroom in the North Lodge, a short walk across the field from the main building.
Booking and Payment
  • If the weather is bad, please contact our booking office who will be able to tell you whether the Landmark is accessible. If the housekeeper can safely get to the building to prepare it then we consider that it is open and available for guests. However if we cannot undertake a changeover then we will do our utmost to transfer your stay to another Landmark, depending on what we have available. It may not be of a similar size or in the same part of the country as your original booking. If the building is accessible but the customer cannot travel due to poor weather in his/her local area then please be aware that Landmark will not provide a refund. However the customer may be able to claim on his/her own travel insurance. We recommend that all guests take out travel insurance when they first secure a booking.
  • We accept Maestro (if issued in the UK), Visa, MasterCard, direct transfer and sterling cheques drawn on a UK bank. Cheques should be made payable to the Landmark Trust except for Lundy stays and boat/helicopter tickets which should be payable to The Lundy Company Ltd. All payments must be in sterling.
  • The key arrangements will be included in the Further Infomation document which will be sent to you prior to your stay.
  • If your stay starts more than two months from the date you make the booking, you are required to pay a deposit of one third of the cost of your stay (or £100 per booking, if greater) at the time of booking. Camping on Lundy and The Bunk House at Llwyn Celyn must be paid for in full at the time of booking.
  • If you wish to cancel or change your booking, please contact our Booking Office on 01628 825925
  • At the moment we only accept payment in sterling.
  • Our housekeeper will leave the key in a suitable place, the details of which will be sent to you prior to your stay.
  • It depends. Some of our most popular Landmarks are booked up a long time in advance, but many can be booked at short notice. We will always have Landmarks free for the coming weekend so it’s always worth checking our availability list.
  • No, Landmarks are available to be booked for anyone.
  • No, all the information you need can be found on our website, although we’d like you to buy one anyway as it will be a pleasure to own!
Staying at a Landmark
  • Some of our Landmarks are suitable for people with disabilities or limited mobility. However, many Landmarks have steep or narrow staircases, uneven floors and thresholds, changes of level, low ceilings or beams, as well as indistinct colours on steps and in corridors. We recommend that you call Booking Enquiries on 01628 825925 if you would like to find out the suitability of a particular Landmark for anyone with a specific disability.  Further information on access when visiting Lundy can also be found here.
  • Yes, Landmarks are only available as self-catering accommodation. We do not offer bed and breakfast.
  • Landmark does not provide catering, but we can recommend Greycoat Lumleys who can arrange for expert and well-trained staff to cater for one evening or for your entire holiday. Their cooks and chefs are able to work with you to meet your specific requirements
  • You may bring up to two dogs to properties where dogs are allowed (please see specific property details for exemptions however dogs are not permitted on Lundy except assistance dogs). They must be kept off the furniture and under proper control. A charge of £20 per stay is made for each dog. Please contact booking enquiries if a registered assistance dog is supporting one of the guests, for which there is no charge.
  • Apart from two dogs (see above) no other pets are permitted.
  • Arrival is from 4pm and departure is by 10am.
  • We do not carry insurance for breakages. However we appreciate that accidents do sometimes happen. If you have a breakage during your stay, please let the housekeeper know and if appropriate we reserve the right to invoice you accordingly.
  • Yes, most of our Landmarks are perfect for children, with gardens to play in and secret places to discover. Our furniture is surprisingly robust and we positively encourage families to stay. However, some of our buildings may not be suitable for small children; for example, some of them have steep or uneven spiral staircases. We recommend that you call the Booking Enquiries team if you would like to find out the suitability of any of our Landmarks for young children.
  • Unfortunately, most of our Landmarks are not licensed for weddings. However, you may get married on Lundy.
  • All our larger Landmarks are perfect for gatherings of family or friends. You may invite an additional two guests to visit you during your stay, however they must not stay overnight. This is very important because our fire regulations specifically note the maximum number of people in any one building. In addition our properties are prepared, furnished and equipped for the number of people specified and greater numbers cause damage and excessive wear and tear to vulnerable buildings. Should this condition be ignored we shall make a retrospective charge per person per day (whether or not they stay overnight) for each guest over the permitted limit, the charge being pro-rated on the total cost of your booking.
  • We deliberately do not provide televisions and find that most people appreciate this.
  • One of the challenges of restoring unloved buildings is gaining access to them. We frequently have to negotiate rights with our neighbours and share tracks with them. In many cases tracks do not belong to us and we have no right to maintain them. Wherever possible we work with our neighbours to provide you with a good quality surface, but where this is a problem then you will be warned at the time of booking.
  • Yes, we have standard electricity sockets for UK appliances. If you are coming from outside the UK, you will need to bring your own adaptor plug(s). If you are visiting one of our European properties we have standard European electricity sockets. If you are visiting from the UK, you will need to bring your own adapter plug (s).
  • Landmark’s electrical systems have not been designed to provide continuous power from one socket over several hours.  If an ordinary socket is used to charge an electric vehicle, there is significant risk of an electrical fire and consequent danger to life.  Therefore, we are unable to allow electric vehicle charging from most of our Landmarks at present.

    We are working to provide Type 2 Electric Vehicle charge points at our properties where there is private parking.  Where this is available, please request this facility when booking the property to ensure the outlet is enabled on your arrival.  There is a small charge to cover the cost of electricity provided.  Please book this facility in advance.
  • No, we do not allow smoking in any Landmark.
Facilities
  • Sometimes our kitchens and bathrooms have to be imaginatively fitted into the available space in buildings where before there were none, but they are all planned and equipped to a high and modern standard.
  • Yes, Landmarks are fully equipped with sheets and towels. All the beds are fully made up for your arrival. Except for the Llwyn Celyn Bunkhouse.
  • Yes, our kitchens are well equipped with cookers and fridges. There are freezers and dishwashers (in larger buildings) and, where space allows, microwaves as well as a wide and standard range of utensils. A full equipment list is available at time of booking.
  • Logs are provided at many of our Landmarks for an additional cost.
  • Mobile coverage varies. Some Landmarks have an excellent signal, but others have none at all. You can find those with 4G and 5G signal on our Landmarks with mobile signal page and each building has a link to signal checker in the Essential Information so you can check individual service providers' coverage in the area.
  • The majority of properties do not offer WiFi but many now have mobile coverage. Facilities in some properties rely on WiFi to function and we are currently piloting guest use of WiFi at a few of our buildings. We are going to extend the pilot across more properties and review customer feedback in 2025.
  • A welcome tray with tea and sugar awaits your arrival and you will find a pint of milk in the fridge. We also provide toilet rolls and a bar of soap per basin, but no other toiletries. Hairdryers are provided.
History

Sir Baptist Hicks

The Hicks family originally came from Gloucestershire, but Baptist's father was a mercer in London and his mother ran a flourishing business as a moneylender. Baptist carried on and excelled in both activities, helped greatly by the position of his elder brother Michael, who was Secretary to William Cecil, Elizabeth’s Lord Treasurer, and close friend of Robert Cecil who inherited his father’s position. When James I came to the throne in 1603, Baptist provided much of the finance for the King and Court’s extravagant lifestyle.

Beyond the flamboyant gateway, which forms the main entrance to Sir Baptist Hicks's Campden House, are two pavilions, or banqueting houses. They stand at either end of a broad terrace, overlooking the bones of an extensive and elaborate formal garden. These buildings are all that remain of what was once one of the grandest of Jacobean houses, razed during the Civil War. Today it is one of the most important Jacobean sites in the country, its importance recognised by Scheduled Ancient Monument designation for the site as a whole and Grade II* status for the banqueting houses and Almonry. These minor buildings serve as a reminder of the richness and quality of the ‘great burned house’ itself, and are also a notable collection in their own right.

The Hicks family originally came from Gloucestershire, but Baptist's father was a mercer in London and his mother ran a flourishing business as a moneylender. Baptist carried on and excelled in both activities, helped greatly by the position of his elder brother Michael, who was Secretary to William Cecil, Elizabeth’s Lord Treasurer, and close friend of Robert Cecil who inherited his father’s position. When James I came to the throne in 1603, Baptist provided much of the finance for the King and Court’s extravagant lifestyle. This canny move made him an immense fortune and led first to his knighthood and later to his being created Viscount Campden. By 1609, Sir Baptist had bought the manor of Chipping Campden. Campden House itself was built from about 1613: until then Sir Baptist was busy building Cam(p)den House in Kensington. Sir Baptist was a self-made man (his motto was Non dum metam – not yet at my goal) and he wanted to indulge in a great show of magnificence and was lucky to live at a time when the architecture of display was at its most dramatic. We do not know for certain what his house looked like, but an impression can be gained from some 18th-century views which are thought to be based on a single, contemporary, original. To judge from these, the result was all that Sir Baptist could have hoped. It is still reflected in miniature in the Banqueting Houses, which combine an eye-catching Jacobean roofline with confident, if irregular, Classical detail to produce an effect that is both stately and delightful. There are grounds for suspecting that the designer may have been John Thorpe, who designed Sir Baptist’s London house when he was still plain Mr. Hix. Sir Baptist also provided Chipping Campden with its almshouses, market hall and water, brought by conduit from Westington Hill.

The banqueting houses served as places of retreat for the family and their guests, to which they would withdraw at the end of the main afternoon meal, away from the rest of the household. In the fine rooms at terrace level they would drink fine wines and eat what we would now call dessert, dried fruit, small cakes and sweetmeats, while enjoying the outlook over the gardens and the surrounding countryside. Below, hidden by the fall of the ground and entirely separate from these upper rooms, were further rooms which in the case of the East Banqueting House at least, probably served as lodgings for servants.

The light and glitter of a great house, especially when lit up by candles at night, was a favourite Jacobean spectacle and there are stories of how the lantern on the top of Campden House could be seen from far off. Never was this more true than on a night in 1645 when a Royalist garrison, withdrawing from the house which had served as their local headquarters, set light to it. 'The howse (which was so faire) burnt' wrote one of them in his diary. By the light of the blaze Prince Rupert's army marched over Broadway Hill to Evesham.

The mansion was never repaired. Gradually over the years its shell was raided for building stone, some reddened by the heat of the flames. Some found its way fairly soon into the banqueting houses whose open loggias were blocked to adapt them for humbler domestic use for the estate stewards and, by the early 18th century, for a fruit farmer who planted orchards in the former gardens. Such gentle adaptation ensured that the site remains largely undisturbed to this day.

The manor descended continuously through the Noel family from Sir Baptist's daughter Juliana, who married Edward Noel in a classic alliance of ancient lineage with new money. The Noels had other estates, especially in Rutland, although their link with Chipping Campden persists until the present day; a descendant still lives in the former stable block, long known as the Court House. In 1987, Lady Maureen Fellowes and her husband Peregrine granted a lease of the East Banqueting House and the gate lodges to the Landmark Trust. In 1998, they agreed to transfer care of the West Banqueting House, the Almonry and the rest of the house and garden site to Landmark’s care.

Both Banqueting Houses illustrate the ornamental, even flamboyant, style of architecture favoured by Jacobean architects and patrons for their garden buildings. Both are embellished with strapwork parapets, basket finials and twisted chimneys, in a display that recalls the fantastic structures shown in engraved frontispieces to the works of Spenser and Sidney. This high London fashion must have puzzled local masons used to the simpler local architectural tradition. The upper rooms, decorated with plaster friezes and with open arched loggias, made a fitting setting for the fanciful displays of pastries and sweetmeats that made up the banquets. Apparently symmetrical at terrace level they are, in fact, different in form.

Read the full history album for Old Campden House:

Volume I
Volume II

Download the children's Explorer pack for the East Banqueting House

Restoration

In a state of collapse

When the Landmark Trust acquired the East Banqueting House in 1987 the building was in a very decayed state. The roof was near to collapse, the west wall was bulging outwards, and the second floor was too dangerous to walk on. Much of the glass in the windows had been smashed and water was pouring down to the lower floors.

In the 1860s, the Earl of Gainsborough (Sir Baptist’s great grandson became the first Earl under Charles II) comprehensively restored the East Banqueting House so that he could use it to review his local volunteers as they practised their manoeuvres on the Coneygree below. The Earl glazed the loggia and Landmark’s restoration reflects the Earl’s restoration. By the late 1980s, the roof had to be completely dismantled again and the nineteenth-century trusses repaired and put back. The existing stone slates were reused wherever possible. New lead parapet gutters replaced the old ones, which had perished completely, and new lead chutes and downpipes were provided on the back wall. The two leaning gables on this wall were cranked back to an upright position.

Both banqueting houses are built of local stone and roofed with stone slates. The stonework is particularly fine. In the East Banqueting House, some had been damaged by the previous repairs using iron cramps, but as much as possible of the old carved stone was saved, re-dowelled and fixed where necessary using non-corrosive materials. Where replacement was unavoidable, Guiting stone was used. One chimney had been plundered for a new hearth in the West Banqueting House in the late 17th century so this was replaced with a new copy. The terrace balustrade at the north end had been badly smashed. Many of the balusters survived however and were repaired and reinstated.

New window casements were made to a traditional design, with leaded lights and plain glass. The design of the new main doors was based on fragments of an earlier pair, which were found in a heap of rubble and probably dated from the late 17th century. The outer doors on the ground floor were repaired, but new oak doors were provided elsewhere.

In the main upper room, a new vaulted plaster ceiling was formed, similar to that which survived in the West Banqueting House. The cornice was also based on that in the other building. The walls were given a thin coat of lime plaster, and a new floor put in of wide oak boards. The spiral staircase is also oak, its design based on the contemporary survival in the Almonry.

The arrangement of the East Banqueting House being already upside down, the best position for the kitchen was immediately below the main room on the first floor, with a bedroom beside it, and a bathroom and another bedroom on the floor below. These rooms, with their stone vaults and floors, are very much as they were, but without the graffiti that formerly adorned them.

To prevent damp on the lower floors, a land drain was dug round the garden side of the building. While this excavation was in progress, the retaining wall of the original terrace was discovered. Every care was taken to protect whatever lies below the surface of the garden; a special track of oak boards was laid while work was in progress to prevent damaging tracks from builders' vehicles, and no cars are allowed on the site.

An additional bedroom and bathroom is provided in the north lodge of the gateway. A later cottage and lean-tos behind were taken down and the domes of both lodges repaired, where the joints between the stone had opened up and were letting in water. New gates were fitted, which allow passers-by a view of the garden.

The architect for the repairs was Andy Brookes of Rodney Melville & Partners, and the main contractor was Linford-Bridgeman Ltd. English Heritage gave a grant towards the cost. Work was completed in the autumn of 1990.

Availability & booking

Select a changeover day to start your booking...

What's a changeover day? and Why can't I select other dates?Explain MoreQuestion

A changeover day is a particular day of the week when holidays start and end at our properties. These tend to be on a Friday or a Monday but can sometimes vary. All stays run from one changeover day until another changeover day.