National Trust - Beningbrough Hall, Gallery and Gardens — Attraction in Beningbrough

We've been NT members for years. Our most recent visit to Beningbrough was marred by an incident involving a single member of staff and their attitude towards the end of the day. It was Sunday afternoon, getting close to the final admission to the main house, around 20 minutes or so. My family often split up, some walking faster than others due to age etc. The lady on the door allowed 6 members of my family in, but because I was a few paces behind (as id gone back to the nearby seating area to retrieve a forgotten childs toy), i tried to walk into the house and this staff member blocked my path, informing me they were closed. I highlighted to her that my family had literally just walked in, less than 10 seconds earlier and were right there, on the other side of the door and i could see them through the glass, to be told with attitude it doesnt matter and they were now closed. I pointed out to her does she think its acceptable for an entire family, minus 1 member a few paces behind to be forcibly split up and one denied access? She stated id missed the last admission and i would have to wait for my family to tour the house and come out. I exchanged my issue with her attitude and decision several times, without any compromise from her, so i walked down the steps of the house to wait for my family, trying to get phone signal to explain where i was. Absolutely ridiculous. But then, after a few minutes, I noticed she had begun letting other families in ! Why ? Had the clock suddenly gone back an hour !? Bottom line, she had taken it upon herself to be self appointed doorstaff, to pick and choose who could enter, being deliberately awkward with visitors for whatever her reason may be. After a further few minutes my partner came back to see where I was, opening the door from inside and calling to me to come over. I told my partner what happened, about this woman's attitude etc. Suddenly this member of staff's attitude changed towards me and welcomed me to enter. What on earth was her problem? Why was she actively discriminating against me? She welcomed me in, didnt mention the time or why she had made me wait, its like she'd done it to get a kick out of being awkward for no reason and caved in once she realised she was about to have a confrontation with my partner. NT, you really need to start monitoring your staff behaviour as behaving in this manner is not acceptable. She had kept me stood outside for 10 minutes for absolutely nothing. Absolutely horrendous treatment of supporting members. This review would have been 1 star if it wasn't for the rest of the site. But, messing people around like this for their own entertainment or pleasure is simply not acceptable. I doubt we will return to Beningbrough following...

Stunningly beautiful Baroque Style Mansion with even better breathtaking gardens in the North Yorkshire Countryside. The house is one of the best examples of Baroque Style Mansion around and the glow of orange from the architecture makes it even more amazing. The inside is wonderful unique mix offered up by the National Trust and is a lovely difference compared to the Country Houses they own where there is some furnished rooms with wonderful colourful four poster beds and fantastic portraits with lovely detail. There is also some other lovely furniture such as a Piano and Side Cabinets and all of these are in excellent pristine condition. The houses a lovely informative exhibition about the history of it from its inception as a building, the people that lived at the property and it's uses through its acquisition by the National Trust and as you walk around the house you can see the exciting changes that the National Trust have planned in the future, which look promising and great. The gardens themselves are absolutely amazing and are probably the best element of the property with breathtaking and beautiful Mediterranean Garden that was designed by Andrew Sturgeon and the Mediterranean Garden has a lovely array of diverse plants and also has a lovely exciting exotic feel to it making it a wonderful place to relax and take in the Great atmosphere. Other areas of the Garden are The Walled Garden which is beautiful and vast and provides a beautiful array of colour from the Herbaceous Borders and also there is a lovely avenue of Apple Trees that blend in well with the colour from the Herbaceous Borders making it even more outstanding. There is also the American Garden which has a lovely mix of different trees and offers a lovely difference to the dazzlingly stunning Walled Garden. The Garden offers beautifully amazing views of the House and the surrounding Parkland, which are a great sight to see. There is a restaurant offering a lovely delightful delicious range of food and drink at reasonable prices and there is a shop selling a nice range of souvenirs at reasonable prices. Overall this is a marvellous and excellent place to visit and makes for a wonderful and...

This review comes in 2 parts. The café and the site itself. The 1 star review is necessary because the appalling management of the café ruined the entire day. The site itself is superb and would be a 4 star. Only let down is the playground, which needs additional attractions to make it truly exceptional amongst the National Trust’s existing stock.

As for the café. I have now visited 4 times and on each occasion the queue and order management is abysmal.

Inviting those who only want drinks to the front of the queue, who then subsequently decide they don’t actually just want drinks, then allowing them to remain in the queue - effectively skipping and causing rage amongst those fairly waiting, is truly shocking.

Furthermore, the management of orders when placing on the tills is amongst the worst I’ve ever experienced. It is like reciting your grocery list to a non-English speaker. The workers do not even understand their own offering, which shows either they don’t care, are not competent, or simply do not care.

The management of the eating areas is also appalling. Cutlery is never adequately stocked, the tables are never clean and there is almost always food on the floors/seats. How this scrapes beyond a 3* is beyond me.

Simple answer for all here. Have somebody posted at the door for ‘quick drinks orders’ when it gets busy, with a portable card terminal, then invite through to collect when ready. Ensure your staff are trained to conduct their job efficiently. Make sure...