Award winning Ripon photographer Helen Tabor pictured alongside large canvas prints of her work in the café at Kiplin Hall and Gardens. Credit Helen Tabor.
Kiplin Hall and Gardens is set to open for the 2026 season on Friday, with visitors invited to enjoy a new photography display in the café, a fresh museum exhibition in the hall, and the much-anticipated annual snowdrops strolls in the gardens.
Award-winning Ripon-based photographer Helen Tabor has created a striking new display for the site’s café, bringing the beauty of the surrounding landscape indoors through a collection of seasonal garden images.
The photographs are printed on large-scale canvases, designed to act as windows into the natural world that awaits visitors beyond the café doors.
The display is housed within the new Visitor Centre, which opened at the historic site in 2025.
The café welcomes both ticket-holding visitors and those wishing to visit the café only. Just beyond the redbrick courtyard, guests can explore a sheltered walled garden, lakeside walks and tranquil woodland paths encircling the 400-year-old hall.
Helen Tabor said: “Photographing buildings and gardens has become my greatest joy; nothing makes my heart sing more. I have especially enjoyed seeing Kiplin in all its shades, from early morning dew to daytime glory, in full summer and at the height of its wonderful autumnal colour.
“The grounds are both tranquil and inviting, offering intriguing angles to set botanicals in the spotlight against the man-made architecture and the wider sweep of woodland.”
The café exhibition reflects a broader theme at Kiplin Hall this year, ‘Plants, Trees and the Country House’. Kiplin is one of several historic houses across the region exploring the theme in 2026 as part of the Yorkshire Country House Partnership.
Inside the hall, visitors will also discover a new exhibition on the top floor, Wood: from utility to beauty. The display highlights wooden objects from the museum collection, showcasing both native and exotic species. Items range from everyday domestic kitchenware to finely crafted decorative furniture, demonstrating the versatility and beauty of wood through the centuries.
All of this coincides with the blooming of swathes of snowdrops throughout the gardens, offering a seasonal highlight that draws visitors outdoors whatever the weather.
The site is open six days a week (closed Thursdays) from Friday, February 6.
For more information, visit kiplinhall.co.uk.
Comments are closed.