Why Christmas at Goldsborough Hall near Harrogate is extra special for visitors and the owners

The rest of the time, they share the beautiful stately home and its parkland and gardens with guests and staff as their home is also a business that has 17 guest bedrooms, hosts weddings and events, afternoon teas and has a fine dining restaurant with a 3AA rosette plus glorious gardens.

The couple bought the hall for use purely as a home in 2005 after being bowled over by the Grade II* listed building and its location in the former estate village of Goldsborough, which is rural, tranquil and pretty but is just a few minutes from the A59 and the A1 with Harrogate close by.

The hall, which is tucked away overlooking its own parkland and gardens, has its roots in the 16th century though it was significantly altered in the early 1760s when Daniel Lascelles, whose family later became the Earls of Harewood, commissioned architects John Carr and Robert Adam to work their magic on it and give it a gorgeous Georgian makeover.

Without doubt, the property’s greatest claim to fame is that it was the home of HRH Princess Mary and Viscount Henry Lascelles. They lived there from 1922 when they married until the 1930s when the Viscount succeeded his father as Earl of Harewood, which meant a move to Harewood House.

The hall was modernised for the princess while retaining its fabulous period features, which include 17th century oak panelling, a Jacobean ceiling in the library and a magnificent soap stone fireplace in the dining room with panels depicting scenes from the Old Testament.

Princess Mary also commissioned the famous quarter of a mile long Lime Tree Walk and had stained glass windows gifted to her by the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem installed on the second floor.

Another impressive boast for the hall is that the Byerley Turk, owned by Robert Byerley who lived at the hall from 1692 to 1714, was stabled at Goldsborough. He was the eldest of three stallions whose genes make up all thoroughbreds in the world today.

Sold off by the Lascelles to pay death duties in the 1950s, the grand home was bought for use as a private school before being sold to the Hanson family in 1961 as a home.

They lavished a small fortune on its restoration and history has a great deal to thank them for.

However, after later being sold and turned into a nursing home, the grand house was on the market for two years, slipping into dereliction until Clare and Mark booked a viewing.

He had sold his telecoms company and they were looking for a family home.

“We bought it in 2005 with our hearts not our heads,” says Clare. “We knew it needed love, care and attention and a family to live in it but we didn’t really think it through fully at that point.”

It’s almost as though the house was waiting for them to arrive. Restoration and repairs were vital and Clare and Mark spent a huge amount of time and money bringing the house back to life.

She says: “There were squirrels running round in the attic and cellars and water running down the walls when we got it.”

Determination and that enormous investment has transformed the property and included installing a biomass boiler, repointing 15 miles of brickwork and restoring damaged ceilings, among many other things.

Attention to period detail when decorating was key and the couple hired York based Hesp and Jones for that vital task.

More recently Clare and Mark have added an orangery and kitchen garden and, as if they didn’t have enough going on, they also rescued the local pub, The Bay Horse, which was in danger of being closed and possibly redeveloped.

They took on the lease and the pub now has guest rooms and food and remains a hub for the local community.

“We didn’t imagine we would be working in hospitality when we bought this house and it’s a seven days a week job but it’s lovely to be able to share our home with guests and it has helped secure the hall’s long term future,” says Clare, who loves Christmas.

She has decorated a total of 14 Christmas trees for the hall and pub and they are a picture of perfection. “I like to watch American decorators on YouTube to pick up ideas as they are really good,” says Clare, who invests a lot of time in getting the trees looking just right and in making even the grandest rooms feel warm and relaxed.

The tree in the family’s quarters is different. She says: “There’s no theme, just tinsel and decorations we have collected over the years.”

As for the three days Christmas holiday with the whole house to themselves, the Oglesbys will be entertaining family and friends. On Christmas day, it will be drinks in the pub, Christmas dinner and the King’s speech. Boxing day involves watching movies with friends and family.

“I’ll still be busy but it’s a different kind of busy,” says Claire, who is hoping to devote some time next year to writing a book.

A former journalist, she is researching and chronicling a history of the house.

*For details of what Goldsborough Hall and Gardens has to offer visit www.goldsboroughhall.com