Thank you so much for choosing us for your precious holiday time. There is no better place to explore and unwind, even if I say so myself. My family and I still continue to discover new things everyday.
Amber and I are extremely excited by everything that we are involved with on the estate at the moment. Our ambition is to continue to make this a spectacular holiday destination with exemplary customer service. We are permanently upgrading our lodges and cottages, gardens, food and drink offerings and on-site experiences. The highlight of the current chapter is in 2021 we managed to acquire the mansion house back after 35 years of being a private hospital. The plan is that we will convert this into one of the UK’s leading members’ clubs, hotel and wellness resort with a possible opening in approximately 2027.
My great grandfather, who founded British Home Stores, bought the sprawling 5,000 acre Ribble Valley estate off the titled Ribblesdale family whose 2 sons were killed in the Great War.
This estate has a rich and extraordinary history. Such a legend was Lord Ribblesdale that King Edward nicknamed him ‘the ancestor’ and his portrait was painted by the famous John Singer Sargent – the work now hangs proudly in the grand entrance of the Tate Gallery, London. When Jacob Astor drowned on the Titanic it was his widow that became the last Lady Ribblesdale. Oliver Cromwell marched his troops onto the estate on 16.08.1648 during the Second Civil War and stayed in the Hall. The estate has had many other notable guests over the years including Winston Churchill to more recently the Queen and Prince Charles. It’s believed over 1 million oaks that have been planted across the estate over the years. One of the estate previous owners, Robert Lister, was murdered by one of the infamous Pendle Witches, Jennet Preston who was later hanged for the crime.
My involvement began in 2003, when I inherited Gisburne Park Estate following my father’s death. I set about transforming a tired but unspoilt shooting and hunting estate into a state-of-the-art luxury holiday village. Fifty years ago, this site was a state-of-the-art dairy farm built by my grandfather. Sadly, as the farming economy changed, the farm became redundant and fell into disrepair. This inspired my father to apply for planning permission for a holiday park, which was granted. The hunting and shooting era are no longer and we are proud to be turning our land into a wildlife sanctuary which our guests can explore and enjoy.
The village of Gisburn, little more than 5 minutes walk from the park, received its Charter for Gisburn Fair in 1260. This is one of the earliest mentions of the village. It was granted by Henry III to the Abbot and Monks of Sawley Abbey. At the centre of the village is the ancient church which is dedicated to St Mary the Virgin. One could assume that the foundations for the present church could have been laid circa 113.
