If you want to see how the other half lives, visit one of the many country houses in Britain.
Aside from marvelling at the sheer beauty and enormity of Britain’s stately homes, each one boasts its own individual history of the people who used to occupy these households. The old saying of “if these walls could talk” is never more pertinent than when applied to Britain’s lavish stately homes.
They were usually built to house aristocratic families but over the centuries, some of the families lost their fortunes or moved away, and for many, their homes simply became too expensive to run. To ensure the protection and restoration of these homes, many have been acquired by the National Trust and are now opened to the public.
Here are some of the most impressive ones you can visit, a few of which you may recognise from a period drama, TV series or Hollywood film.
1. Chatsworth House | Derbyshire
Set inside the heart of the Peak District, this magnificent 160-room stately home is one of Britain’s finest. It was originally built as a Tudor Mansion for Bess of Hardwick (who I’ll talk about later) in the 1560s, but the house you see today was rebuilt in 1708 in English Baroque architecture for William Cavendish, the 1st Duke of Devonshire and the grandson of Bess of Hardwick.
The garden is over 100 acres and contains many early features including the Canal Pond, Cascade and 1st Duke’s Greenhouse, as well as more recent additions including the maze, and the sculptural heads of notable Brits created by Angela Connor. The house has featured in many films including its appearance as Pemberly in the 2005 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice with Kiera Knightley.
Website: www.chatsworth.org
2. Castle Howard | North Yorkshire
100 years in the making, Castle Howard is a Baroque masterpiece located in the North Yorkshire countryside. Though open to the public it is privately owned by the Howard family and has been for more than 300 years. It rests on the remains of an old military castle, hence the name.
Tragedy struck in 1940 when a fire roared through the building, destroying much of the house including the central hall and dining room. After several decades in the process it has now be beautifully restored, and made several film appearances, most famously Barry Lyndon and Brideshead Revisited.
Website: www.castlehoward.co.uk
3. Knebworth House | Hertfordshire
Home to the Lytton family, a British aristocratic family with a long and notable contributions to British politics and literature.
Of all the stately homes in England, Knebworth House has shot to the top of my favourites. Its fanciful facade is as stunning as it is imaginative. Though what really sets Knebworth apart from other stately homes is the garden. Waiting to be discovered is a natural wonderland, filled with captivating gardens that span acres upon acres and offers a treasure trove of quirky surprises.
Unlike many stately homes which usually adhere more strictly to the Palladian, Baroque or Neoclassical style, the architecture of Knebworth House is a captivating blend of historical styles that reflect the changing tastes and aspirations of its owners spanning over five centuries.
Its interiors have featured in everything from The Crown to Foyle’s War, Victoria and Abdul to Paddington 2, The King’s Speech to Jane Eyre, and most famously, Batman.
Further reading → Knebworth House: An English Stately Home With Quirky Dinosaurs
4. Blenheim Palace | Oxfordshire
Blenheim Palace was a gift from Queen Anne and the nation to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, for his victory at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704. In a nutshell when France tried to take Spain’s empire, Queen Anne turned to John Churchill to stop the French Army. He managed this and therefore tore apart France’s ambitions to rule all of Europe.
The exterior is truly magnificent example of Baroque architecture, and it was always going to be because the architect, John Vanbrugh wanted it to rival the Palace of Versailles. The interior doesn’t fail to make an impression either, especially upon entering the Great Hall which takes its inspiration from the Roman period with its classical statues, arches and towering columns.
If you’re wandering whether the name Churchill is connected to Winston Churchill, you’d be right. He was born at Blenheim in 1874.
Website: www.blenheimpalace.com
5. Drumlanrig Castle | Scotland
Also dubbed the ‘Pink Palace’ of Drumlandrig, this wonderful 17th Century Renaissance building is certainly fit for a princess. From rolling landscaped gardens, to the striking turrets and pink facade, Drumlanrig Castle rises dramatically above the surrounding forests as if it’s been placed there straight from the pages of a fairy-tale book.
This impressive 90,000-acre estate is also home to an impressively large collection of famous art including a painting by none other than Leonardo Da Vinci himself.
Website: www.drumlandrigcastle.co.uk
6. Highclere Castle | West Berkshire
This entry is best known as Downtown Abbey, home to the Crawley Family in the hit television show of the same name. A Victorian country house, dressed up in Jacobean style, greets visitors who can cross the verdant estate to discover a wonderful stately home which belongs these days to the Earl of Carnarvon.
The gardens here were created by Capability Brown, whose immense work earned him the title of ‘England’s Greatest Gardener’. He was in huge demand in 18th Century Georgian England, prior to his work formal gardens were in vogue but he turned that image on its head by creating naturalist gardens with lakes, bridges, meadows and woodlands. And he wasn’t only responsible for Highclere Castle’s garden, he was responsible for transforming up to 200 gardens, including at the aforementioned Blenheim Palace and Burghley House below.
Website: www.highclerecastle.co.uk
7. Burghley House | Peterborough
Looking for spectacular interiors? It doesn’t get more lavish than Burghley House, renowned for its dramatic ‘hell staircase’ – the ceiling of which was painted by Antonio Verrio, an Italian painter who was responsible for introducing Baroque mural painting into England . It shows the mouth of Hell as the enormous gaping mouth of a cat, with countless souls in torment within – a unexpectedly epic spectacle to behold.
Built in 1587 for Sir William Cecil who was Elizabeth I’s chief advisor, and it is still owned and live in by the Cecil family. More than 35 opulently decorated rooms fill the ground and first floors (but there are more than 80 in the entire property). Outside of the house, there are 2,000 acres of gardens to explore including a deer park.
Website: www.burghley.co.uk
8. Hardwick Hall | Derbyshire
Elizabeth Hardwick, better known as Bess of Hardwick was one of the most notable women in Elizabethan times. Through a series of well-made marriages she was second in wealth only to Queen Elizabeth I – and Hardwick Hall was one of her homes.
Notable features are the many large windows which were a great extravagance at the time because glass was extremely expensive. Amusingly, this led to the rhyme, ‘Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall.’
An interesting architectural fact is each of the three main storeys has a higher ceiling than the one below, the ceiling height being indicative of the importance of the rooms’ occupants. As you can imagine, Bess would have spent most of her time on the top floor where you will find long gallery and her tapestry-ladened bedchamber.
9. Hatfield House | Hertfordshire
This Jacobean-style property was built for Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, who was the son of William Cecil. However, prior to this, it was the site of Hatfield Palace, which had been owned by King Henry VIII. It was said to be the favourite home of Elizabeth I, the daughter of Henry and his second wife Anne Boleyn, who was famously beheaded! Elizabeth was even supposedly told of her ascension to the throne at Hatfield.
Elizabeth’s successor, King James I, didn’t like Hatfield Palace so exchanged it for the nearby Cecil family home of Theobalds. Now that Cecil owned the building he rebuilt most of it and renamed it Hatfield House.
The house has featured in many high-profile films including Orlando, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (with Jonny Depp), V for Vendetta, and most recently, the 2018 oscar-winning film, The Favourite.
Website: www.hatfield-house.co.uk
10. Wollaton Hall | Nottingham
The exterior of Wollaton Hall which stands atop a hill set in over 500 acres of historic deer park, is truly a vision to behold. If you’re thinking it bears a resemblance to Hardwick Hall, well done, it was designed by the same architect, Robert Symthson, a few years earlier.
Wollaton Hall is a spectacular Elizabethan building, completed way back in 1588 and now also functions as the city’s Natural History Museum which makes it a great place for families. Lastly, in 2011, key scenes from the Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises were filmed at Wollaton Hall as the exterior of Wayne Manor.
Website: www.wollatonhall.org.uk
