The history of the Stanford Hall estate can be traced back to 1150AD when, in the reign of King Stephen, he granted the land to the monks of Selby Abbey in Yorkshire. From about 1430, the Cave family, also from Yorkshire, managed the land as tenant farmers until the dissolution of the monasteries. Sir Thomas Cave purchased it from the king in 1540, and Stanford Hall still remains a family home to members of the Cave family.

Stanford Hall as seen today dates from the 1690s, when Sir Roger Cave commissioned the famous midland architects, the Smiths of Warwick, to demolish the old manor and build a new one. The result is considered by many to be one of the finest examples of a William and Mary period country house still surviving.

The collaboration between the architects and the Cave family was to continue for many years. In 1730 Sir Verney Cave commissioned Francis Smith to build a new cantilever staircase, now known as the 'Flying Staircase'. This replaced the East Staircase as the main staircase in the house. William Smith, Francis' son, went on to build the adjacent brick stable block before turning his attention to the Ballroom.

The beautiful pink and gold Ballroom was created in the space where the original entrance hall stood. In 1745 the bedrooms situated above this area were removed, and a domed ceiling was raised into the void. The striking painted centre panel depicts Apollo in a sunburst with four Trompe l'oeil Shells at each corner. The lower painted panels were added by Felix Joubert in the 1880s.

During the 1890s, Stanford Hall was supplied with electricity for the first time - and in a quite unique way. The work was carried out by the ingenious use of a ferret, and copious amounts of strategically placed food!

A substantial range that had been built between the hall and stable block was demolished in the 1920s due to severe dry rot. Originally comprising a dining room and Catholic Chapel, the removal of this range returned Stanford Hall to its initial plan, as the Smiths of Warwick had intended.

During the war years, the Cave's home was leased to a community of Sacred Heart nuns who utilised the hall as a convent school. Although the nuns tried their best to maintain the property, the lack of regular repairs soon took their toll and the roof suffered badly.

In 1956 a major restoration programme commenced with the help of a considerable grant by the then 'Ministry of Works'. Within two years the work was largely completed, and the family opened the house to the public in the Easter of 1958. With a further grant in the early 1980s, the leaking stable block roof was able to be refurbished.

Stanford Hall is set in an attractive park with the River Avon flowing through it. There is a walled rose garden to the rear of the stable block and an early Ha-Ha separates the North Lawn from the mile-long North Avenue.