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 […]
Renishaw Hall is situated on the edge of the Peak District between Sheffield and Chesterfield. It has been the home of the Sitwell family for almost 400 years having been built in 1625 by George Sitwell, a High Sheriff of Derbyshire. The Hall was substantially expanded and the gardens developed based on fortunes built up […]
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the UK include ancient monuments, magnificent historic buildings, industrial locations and two natural areas.
England is richly endowed with hundreds of stately homes, often complete with fine gardens and landscaped parkland. But which are the best to visit? As retired seniors, with plenty of time on our hands, we have managed to visit many stately homes in the last few years. This has particularly applied in 2020 when foreign […]
Waddesdon Manor is one of the most visited of National Trust properties and the gardens and parkland have free access to members of Historic Houses. So what is the attraction of this extravagant weekend retreat of the de Rothschild family? We went to investigate on a drizzly Sunday afternoon in late October. This was just […]
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Historic Houses Northamptonshire: Althorp and Holdenby
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 […]