‘I hope future generations of the family won’t be horrified by what we’ve done’

When Lady Cara and the Hon. James Willoughby first opened Birdsall House to weddings and events in 2018, they were nervous.

In nearly 500 years of history, the house, near Malton in North Yorkshire, had never been open to the public. Cara and James inherited the house in 2017 from James’s late grandparents, Michael Willoughby, 12th Baron Middleton and his wife Janet, having lived on the estate since 2005.

Six years on from Birdsall’s big launch, Cara is feeling far more comfortable with the house, having spent time learning its ways, and getting the grips with what she describes as its “big character”. Considering the house’s potential, and what it was missing as an events space, two years ago the Willoughbys decided to try something new.

In April, the fruits of their endeavours were realised, when they opened a nightclub in the 19th-century basement kitchen complex, deserted since the 1950s. Where once stood a large main kitchen supported by pantries, meat larders and ice houses is now a party space with a bar and dance floor – perfect for standalone parties and wedding receptions.