*** Special Offer: For a £5 discount on Historic Houses membership use code STEW05 ***
Historic Houses is a non-profit organisation representing more than 1,600 privately owned historic houses, castles and gardens in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Island. Some of the finest stately homes in the UK come under its umbrella.
More than 300 of these sites are free to visit for members of Historic Houses, although in three cases (Blenheim Palace Park, Harewood House and Hever Castle), only one visit is permitted per calendar year. For some sites only gardens are open to members.
Most properties are open typically from March to October, although about 60 are open throughout the year; see Historic Houses – Winter Openings. This is similar to English Heritage and the National Trust, see: English Heritage and National Trust – Winter Openings.
If you intend to visit more than a couple of their properties, then taking up annual membership will save you money. Individual membership is £68 a year, joint membership £108 a year, children (3-16 years) £30 a year.
Enter code STEW05 for £5 discount when you join via the Historic Houses website. This also applies to new members and if you wish to give annual membership as a gift.
We will be reviewing many of the properties that give free entry to members and giving our advice as to which are the best to visit.
South West
• Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire
• Bickleigh Castle, Devon
• Pencarrow House, Cornwall
London and South East
• Chenies Manor House, Buckinghamshire
• Cowper & Newton Museum, Buckinghamshire
• Hever Castle, Kent
• Hook Norton Brewery, Oxfordshire
• Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire
East Midlands
• Althorp Estate, Northamptonshire
• Belvoir Castle and Gardens, Leicestershire
• Doddington Hall and Gardens, Lincolnshire
• Elsham Hall Gardens, Lincolnshire
• Eyam Hall, Derbyshire
• Haddon Hall and Gardens, Derbyshire
• Holdenby Gardens, Northamptonshire
• Renishaw Hall and Gardens, Derbyshire
• Scawby Hall, Lincolnshire
West Midlands
• Middleton Hall and Gardens, Warwickshire
• Stoneleigh Abbey, Warwickshire
• The Lord Leycester, Warwickshire
• Weston Park, Shropshire
Yorkshire
• Allerton Hall, North Yorkshire
• Burton Agnes Hall and Gardens, East Yorkshire (Updated May 2022)
• Burton Constable Hall, East Yorkshire
• Harewood House, West Yorkshire
• Newby Hall and Gardens, North Yorkshire
• Wentworth Woodhouse, South Yorkshire
North West
• Adlington Hall, Cheshire
• Askham Hall, Cumbria
• Bramall Hall, Greater Manchester
• Browsholme Hall, Lancashire
• Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, Greater Manchester
• Lowther Castle, Cumbria
• Lytham Hall, Lancashire
• Morland House, Cumbria
• Peover Hall, Cheshire
North East
• Alnwick Castle, Northumberland
• Chillingham Castle, Northumberland
• Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland
• Raby Castle, County Durham
See also: Historic Houses versus National Trust – Which to join
