Markington Hall: 'I didn't feel worthy to hold the name William Wilberforce but you've got to be yourself' says descendant

Not only is there the portrait painted the portrait, the family still has a cameo containing a lock of his hair and an iron tobacco box made from a slave’s manacles given to him in thanks. Being a descendent of such a great man comes with a responsibility.

“I am immensely proud of what he achieved, but I did used to feel that I was unfit to be called Wilberforce because he was such an amazing man and what he did,” says William. “But as I’ve got older I realised that I don’t need to try to achieve what he did – you’ve just got to be yourself.”

The son of a wealthy Hull merchant, William Wilberforce was born on 24 August 1759. He studied at Cambridge University where he was a very good friend of future Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger.

Wilberforce had been persuaded to lobby for the abolition of the slave trade by Thomas Clarkson and for 18 years he regularly introduced anti-slavery motions in parliament. At one time, Wilberforce had a vast property portfolio in both London and Yorkshire.

But he was forced to sell almost all of it - including a house and dock in Hull, as well as a large house in Wimbledon, South-West London - to bail out his own son from enormous debts run up in a failed business venture.

Markington Hall was one of the few properties the Wilberforces managed to hold on to, although he never actually lived there because it was tenanted.

The Tudor home, which was first mentioned in the Doomsday Book as a fortified hunting lodge in the Forest of Knaresborough, had come into the family through the marriage of William’s grandfather in 1731 and, at its greatest extent, was the centre of a 2,000-acre estate.

Although most of the land was sold in the 20th century, the hall has remained in the family ever since, passing through the hands of a number of William Wilberforces - for at least seven generations a son has borne the same forename.

Now, like many historic homes, the current incumbents have had to look for new revenue streams to ensure the future of the Grade II listed building for future generations.

“We did look to try to sell the house in 2008,” explains William’s Australian wife photographer and former teacher, Julie. “But we couldn’t get a buyer and so we decided to move in. But we needed to find additional income streams and our son Dan came up with the idea of glamping. ”

Dan, a barrister who studied human rights at university, turned his back on his privileged upbringing before returning recently to help when he can with the estate as does his younger brother Robbie. So they set about sourcing and putting three gypsy caravan’s on some of the land.

“We thought that they would be a good idea as they were moveable and easy to maintain,” says Julie.

“Looking back we were so naive. We really didn’t know what we were looking for, what the pitfalls there were, but we did decide on three gypsy caravans.”

They then built a wooden cabin for the facilities for the caravans and a composting toilet.

“It was the early days of glamping when things like composting toilets were acceptable – since then things have really changed and people want so much more.”

And so while the caravans were quaint and a success, it soon became clear that they needed something that would give year-round income and so they decided to create a hot tub which had an outside bath, a hot tub and a sauna.

"We were looking for something a bit different and also something that was 365 days a year,” says William. “Dan had seen a similar treehouse and thought it could work well here.”

The treehouse eventually opened in May 2023. Since then it has been nearly always full and they are starting to get repeat business.

“Julie is fantastic with the personal touches which I think makes all the difference,” says William. “It makes people feel they are wanted and appreciated and I think that’s important.”

"It’s just really lovely to give pleasure to people and to share what we have. If it’s a special occasion we will give them cards, a cake and a bottle of prosecco on ice.”

The two double-bedroomed treehouse is set in the stunning grounds and visitors have exclusive access to the garden complete with croquet and boules as well as the hot tub and barbecue.

Its success has led to the latest development at Markington Hall – the Heron’s Haunt, a luxurious one-bedroomed property due for completion in June.

"Someone asked why we had stopped using the gypsy caravans and so we applied for planning permission to relocate them,” says Julie. ”We also had plans to create a log cabin on that site and when we thought about it if we also put the gypsy caravans up there you could end up with quite a lot of noise and detract from the treehouse which is the last thing we want to do,” says William,

"We are extremely fortunate to live here – to have the house and the space and we’ve always recognised that we are only ever custodians of a place like tis but it also nice tp be able to share it and by doing the tree house and the cabin it’s an opportunity to share what we’ve got,” says Julie.

They are also in the process of converting a barn adjacent to their house into another holiday let, the Midnight Library (in a nod to the Matt Haig novel).

“It will affect us more as it is closer to the house but it’s still going to be private."

Books are a theme that run through the properties. An entire floor to ceiling wall of the Heron’s Haunt in books and a similar thing is planning for the one-bed Midnight Library due to open by the end of the year, although all three properties have their own distinct identity.

"We also have my fathers record and CD collection which will go into the Midnight Library, and we are going to have a piano in there and a hamam,” adds Julie.

They also do weddings four times a year with all the money going to wards the upkeep of the house and grounds.

They are also part of WWOOF – World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, or World Wide Organisation of Organic Farms – a network of national organizations that facilitate homestays on organic farms which connect people who want to live and learn on organic farms and small-holdings with people who want to share their knowledge and way of life.

William and Julie are also Ambassadors of the Wilberforce Trust in York, set up in 1833 after William Wilberforce died.

It offers supported housing, supported living, sensory impairment assessments, sight registrations, rehabilitation support and much more for people with sight loss or impairment.

“We were approached and asked if we wanted to have more involvement and I said I’d love to,” says William. “I had always wondered what the Wilberforce Trust did. It’s fantastic what they’ve achieved it’s much needed especially in a time when everything is being cut back. I am very pleased and honoured to be involved.”

The treehouse can be booked via www.canopyandstars.co.uk although Dan is in the process of setting up a website for similar like-minded property owners.

For more information on the work of the Wilberforce Trust vist www.wilberforcetrust.org.uk