Hall shows off newly-weds from previous centuries

And while the nation looks forward to tomorrow’s marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton, visitors to one of Yorkshire’s stately homes are being given the chance to learn more about former monarchs and their spouses.

Staff at Beningbrough Hall, near York, will be on hand to show the public a collection of more than 100 portraits from the Georgian period on loan from the National Portrait Gallery.

The house’s top galleries will be open tomorrow to give visitors the chance to admire paintings of the newly-wed couple’s 18th century equivalents, Augusta, Princess of Wales, and her husband, Frederick Lewis.

Visitor services manger Jacquelyn Crofts said: “It’s going to be a special day – one that will be remembered for many years to come. All our staff and volunteers will be in a very celebratory mood and we’d love people to come and join us.”

Visitors will also be able to explore royal links to the hall’s gardens, including an oak tree planted by Queen Victoria’s cousin, the Duke of Cambridge, on a visit in 1898.

Beningbrough Hall was acquired by the National Trust in 1958, but it did not reopen until extensive renovations had been completed in the 1970s.