Tixall Gatehouse
Staffordshire, England
Photo: Zorin14, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Gallery: R. Plot, Public domain ยท Colin Park, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Key facts
- Operator
- Landmark Trust
- Condition
- Intact
- Access
- Hotel guests only
- Nearest station
- Stafford, 3.7 miles (straight-line)
- Stays
- Overnight accommodation available
- Note
- Public access is by overnight booking only; the gatehouse stands alone in open countryside and is visible from the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal towpath (Tixall Wide).
Pinpoint
Tixall, Stafford ST18 0XT
Opening Hours
Opening times change. Always check the official website before you travel.
No public access without a booking; let as a holiday stay for up to eight people
Checked against the official page on 14 September 2026.
Visitor essentials
- Facilities
- Four en-suite bedrooms sleeping eight, restored by the Landmark Trust with modern kitchen and living space inside the historic shell.
Sir Edward Aston added this three-storey Elizabethan gatehouse to Tixall Hall around 1580, and in 1586 it briefly held Mary, Queen of Scots for two weeks while her rooms at Chartley Castle were searched following the Babington Plot. The hall itself was demolished in 1927, leaving the gatehouse standing alone in open countryside; the Landmark Trust rescued it from ruin in 1968 and now lets it as a holiday stay for up to eight people.
At a glance
Who to know
Mary, Queen of Scots · held here for two weeks in 1586 following the Babington Plot
Worth the trip
Mary, Queen of Scots is said to have told the poor gathered at the gate as she left, "I have nothing for you, I am a beggar as well as you, all is taken from me."
Before you go
The only way inside is to book a stay through the Landmark Trust; it's visible for free from the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal towpath at Tixall Wide, a short walk away.
What visitors say
Tixall Gatehouse reviews · 5 / 5 across 2 Google reviews
The handful of public reviews come from passers-by on the adjoining canal towpath rather than guests, describing the gatehouse as a striking sight rising alone out of the Staffordshire countryside.
“looks spectacular from the canal! Well worth a look”- Jack Griffiths, visitor review
Within reach of Birmingham (23 miles) - see what else is nearby.
Getting in - what Landmark Trust says
No general public entry; access is by booking an overnight stay through the Landmark Trust. Freely visible from the public towpath at Tixall Wide on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal.
Taken from Landmark Trust’s own website and read 14 September 2026 - check the current version. Access can change with building work, weather and staffing - if the visit depends on it, ring ahead.
History
Sir Edward Aston · c. 1580
The Littleton family held the Tixall manor until 1507, when the heiress married Sir John Aston. Sir Edward Aston replaced the medieval manor house around 1555 and added the gatehouse around 1580. In August 1586, following the Babington Plot, Mary, Queen of Scots was intercepted while riding from Chartley Castle and brought to Tixall for about two weeks while her rooms and papers at Chartley were searched. The Aston family later gained a peerage, and the estate passed through the Clifford and Talbot families before being broken up and sold in 1960; the main hall was demolished in 1927, but the gatehouse survived, abandoned and at risk, until the Landmark Trust acquired and restored it in 1968.
Adapted from this castle's Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Common questions about Tixall Gatehouse
Where is Tixall Gatehouse?
Tixall Gatehouse is in Staffordshire, England, at Tixall, Stafford ST18 0XT.
Can you visit Tixall Gatehouse?
Tixall Gatehouse operates as a hotel, so access is normally for staying guests rather than day visitors. Contact the hotel directly about staying or visiting.
Can you stay overnight at Tixall Gatehouse?
Yes - Tixall Gatehouse offers bookable accommodation, so you can spend the night in the castle itself or within its grounds. See the Castles You Can Sleep In guide for the full list and how each stay works.
What is the highlight of visiting Tixall Gatehouse?
Mary, Queen of Scots is said to have told the poor gathered at the gate as she left, "I have nothing for you, I am a beggar as well as you, all is taken from me.".
Is Tixall Gatehouse a ruin or still intact?
Tixall Gatehouse is largely intact - Public access is by overnight booking only; the gatehouse stands alone in open countryside and is visible from the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal towpath (Tixall Wide).
