Chastleton House is only about fifteen miles away from Blenheim Palace, yet these two Oxfordshire stately homes are worlds apart. Chastleton House is a down-to-earth, unrestored Jacobean country home, with none of the magnificent Baroque opulence of Blenheim Palace. The National Trust states that Chastleton House has been ‘preserved’ in the condition in which they […]
*** Special Offer: For a £5 discount on Historic Houses membership use code STEW05 *** Cumbria is well endowed with properties that are free to enter for members of Historic Houses, with ten in total spread around this large, scenic county. During a short visit to Cumbria in June 2021, we managed to visit three […]
When we drove from England to Hungary two years ago it was a simple and pleasurable journey. Starting from the Hull-Rotterdam ferry terminal in the Netherlands, we passed at a leisurely pace, passing through Germany and Austria along the way. However, trying to follow same route in July 2021 proved to be rather more complicated […]
Northamptonshire is well endowed with stately homes and gardens that are included in the Historic Houses free-to-visit category. We managed to visit two of them, Althorp Estate and Holdenby House, on an overcast, drizzly Sunday in July. This was towards the end of the pandemic lockdown, so prior booking was required at both properties and […]
Chillingham Castle in the north of Northumberland is an atmospheric, medieval fortress. We found it quite mesmerising looking around the ancient building, the formal gardens and the hillside parkland and lakes. Originally the site of a monastery, the present building dates back to the 13th Century but with many modifications along the way. Its strategic […]
• For a £5 discount on new membership, use code STEW05 on the Historic Houses website.
• To get a £10 National Trust gift card with membership by direct debit, click on National Trust.
Heritage West Lancashire: Lytham Hall and Rufford Old Hall
The seaside town of Lytham St Annes is just a few miles south of Blackpool on the Fylde coast in West Lancashire. It sees itself very much as the upmarket neighbour and Lytham Hall near the centre of Lytham St Annes fits well with that image. This Palladian style house dating from 1764 is the only […]