Castles and historic properties
Peacocks strut across manicured lawns, children shriek with delight as they try to find their way out of fiendishly difficult mazes, and well-kept gardens dazzle year-round at England’s many historic houses and well-preserved castles. Once inside, enthusiastic curators bring history to life with their expert knowledge and often funny insights into the lives, loves, and artefacts of generations of inhabitants. Castle breaks give you more chances of bumping into the present owners of an English castle, many of whom still live in wings of the properties. Just don’t forget to retrieve your children from that maze before you head home.
Go on location with Wolf Hall in Wiltshire
Following the BBC’s TV drama of Wolf Hall, go set-jetting to the Wiltshire TV locations used during filming.
Location: Wiltshire
Walk through history at Berkeley Castle
Walk in the footsteps of Wolf Hall’s real historic characters, and also the actors who went on to play them at Berkeley Castle.
Location: Berkeley, Gloucestershire
Take a tour of the Devonshire Collection at Chatsworth
Admire historical artworks in a grand setting at Chatsworth.
Location: Chesterfield, Derbyshire
Discover a castle fit for a prince
Explore artistic treasures in Auckland Castle, home of the Prince Bishops of Durham for 900 years, and set to host a spectacular new show from 2016.
Location: Vale of Durham, Durham
Bring a masterpiece to life at Conisbrough Castle
This romantic medieval castle inspired Sir Walter Scott’s classic book Ivanhoe. Travel back nearly 1,000 years on a visit to the magnificent property.
Location: Doncaster, South Yorkshire
Follow the trail of the Brontë sisters in Birstall
Visit Red House and Oakwell Hall in Birstall, both frequented by the Brontë sisters and which featured in Charlotte Brontë’s famous novel Shirley.
Location: Birstall, West Yorkshire
Step into a Jane Austen novel at Hartland Abbey
Visit the historic house and filming locations of classic TV adaptations of Jane Austen and Rosamunde Pilcher novels, and step into the romance.
Location: Hartland, North Devon
Visit a Victorian Gothic house and estate
The house near Wraxall in North Somerset is built of two types of Bath Stone, and is bristling with turrets and topped with a gorgeous elaborate roof.
Location: Tyntesfielsd, Wraxall, Somerset
Get lost in Gloucestershire's finest gardens
Experience two world-famous gardens just six minutes’ walk from each other - the Arts and Crafts masterpiece Hidcote Manor and historic Kiftsgate Court, created by lifelong friends.
Location: Gloucestershire