Lottery backing unlocks next phase of Harewood visitor masterplan
The historic estate has secured development funding to advance the first phase of its long-term Reimagining Harewood masterplan, namely a new visitor welcome centre focused on the grade two-listed Bakehouse.
The Bakehouse is one of the estate’s oldest buildings. The grant, from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, will enable the trust and its consultant team to develop detailed proposals for the visitor centre, alongside wider improvements to access, landscaping, and visitor facilities.
Leeds-based architects Bauman Lyons are leading the architectural design, working alongside The Landscape Agency, landscape designer Matthew Wilson, and Harewood House Trust.
The wider masterplan aims to improve the visitor welcome through the reconfiguration and extension of the existing car park, the creation of a new arrival hub, and the removal of temporary structures that currently fragment the western approach to the estate.
The proposals also seek to reconnect Harewood House, the Bakehouse, and the Stable Courtyard into a more coherent heritage setting through the reinstatement of the historic Pleasure Garden, including new pedestrian routes, revised landscaping, and the removal of sections of hedging and fencing.
Further interventions will include the creation of a south-facing terrace overlooking the lake, the transformation of the former Bird Garden into a biodiverse lakeside landscape with raised boardwalks, and new woodland routes linking an enhanced playscape with Sylvascape, a new learning and play destination featuring two treehouses.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund award supports the project’s development phase, during which the design team will prepare detailed proposals, undertake consultation and develop the business case for the wider scheme.
Harewood House Trust will seek additional funding to deliver the full masterplan.
The trust said the Reimagining Harewood programme is intended to create more accessible spaces that connect visitors with the estate’s heritage, landscape, and natural environment, while enabling it to share a broader and more inclusive interpretation of Harewood’s history.
