STEP FORWARD INTO HISTORY

Welcome to Hoghton Tower, Lancashire

Hoghton Tower is the ancestral home of the de Hoghton family, who have lived here since the Norman Conquest. Take the long drive to the 16th century and follow in the footsteps of William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens and King James I who, at a banquet held in his honour, famously knighted a loin of beef ‘Sir Loin’.

View the Banqueting Hall, Staterooms, Underground Passages, Dungeons and Dolls’ House Collection. Learn about the Tower's fascinating history. The discovery trail around the gardens will reward you with magnificent views from the ramparts. Hoghton Tower is quite simply unique, the perfect location for an eventful day or evening out, knowing that your visit is going to help maintain this house for future generations.

The Hoghton Tower Preservation Trust joins the celebrations for Charles Dickens 200th anniversary.  

New for the 2012 season, visit our exhibition in the King James Stables and find out more about the link between Charles Dickens and Hoghton Tower. Having visited in the late 19th Century, Dickens makes reference to the Tower in ‘George Silverman’s Explanation’ (1868), a short story serialised in the American journal, the Atlantic Monthly. It is the story of George who, on the passing of his parents, is taken from a cellar in Preston to the dilapidated Hoghton Tower. Here he enters a new world. He eventually escapes poverty to become a priest with a successful living but he is haunted by the taunts that his mother made in childhood and is imprisoned by his conscience. The exhibition offers some insights into the history of the house before and after the time of Dicken’s visit.  

Take Your Place in History

Volunteering can be enjoyable, rewarding and fun, especially when it involves stewarding in a 16th Century Historic House, guiding visitors through underground passages on ghost tours, serving in the Stables Gift Shop, giving assistance with car parking and generally acting as ambassador for one of the most atmospheric homes in England.  For further details contact the office 01254 852986.