- Heritage

Riverhill House Gardens

Historic hillside gardens, privately owned by the Rogers family since 1840. Extensive views across the Weald of Kent. Spectacular rhododendrons, azaleas and specimen trees. Bluebell walk, Hedge Maze,…

Ardington House

Just a few miles south of Oxford stands the tranquil and entirely beautiful Ardington House. Surrounded by manicured lawns, terraced gardens, peaceful paddocks, parkland and its own romantic temple on an island, this Baroque house is the private home of the Barings. You will find it in the attractive village of Ardington, close to the Ridgeway on the edge of the Berkshire Downs.Built by the Strong brothers in 1720 with typical Georgian symmetry, the House is also famous for its Imperial Staircase. Leading from the Hall, the staircase is considered by experts to be one of the finest examples in Britain. Away from the crowds and the hustle of the workplace Ardington House provides a private and secluded setting. The calm, exclusive use environment allows for weddings, offsite board meetings, conference and workshops utilising the stylish, splendid complimentary marquee, gardens and grounds. There is a heated outdoor swimming pool, tennis court, croquet lawn and trout river. Close by is the ancient Ridgeway Path, a popular place for walking. Ardington House is licensed to hold Civil Wedding ceremonies. Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman wrote of the homeliness and warmth of Ardington House, and the rooms have seen many special occasions and important visitors in the past with this tradition being continued. The astonishing mixture of history, warmth and style you’ll find…

Stonor

Stonor is one of the very few houses in England that has remained in the same family from the earliest records to the present day and has been home to The Lord and Lady Camoys and the Stonor family for 850 years. The history of the house inevitably contributes to the atmosphere, at once unpretentious yet grand. A facade of warm brick with Georgian windows conceals much older buildings dating back to the 12th Century and a 14th Century Catholic Chapel sits on the south east corner. Stonor nestles in a fold of the beautiful wooded Chiltern Hills and has breathtaking views of the surrounding park where Fallow deer have grazed since medieval times. It contains many family portraits, old Master drawings and paintings, Renaissance bronzes and tapestries, along with rare furniture and a collection of modern ceramics. St Edmund Campion sought refuge at Stonor during the Reformation and printed his famous pamphlet ‘Ten Reasons’ here, in secret, on a press installed in the roof space. A small exhibition celebrates his life and work. Mass has been celebrated since medieval times in the Chapel and is sited close by a pagan stone prayer circle. The painted and stained glass windows were executed by Francis Eginton, and installed in 1797. The Chapel decoration is that of the earliest Gothic Revival, begun in 1759, with additions in 1797. The Stations of the Cross seen in the lobby, were carved by Jozef Janas, a Polish prisoner of war in World War II and given to Stonor by Graham Greene in 1956. The gardens offer outstanding views of the Park and valley and are especially beautiful in May and June, containing fine displays of daffodils,…

Kingston Bagpuize House

A family home, this beautiful house originally built in the 1660s was remodelled in the early 1700s in red brick with stone facings with a cantilevered staircase. New for 2011 see how Robert Mattock is establishing his significant collection of rare roses in the 2 1/2 acre walled garden and park already notable for its important collection of rare cultivated plants and trees. See rare snowdrops during February; followed by a collection of magnolias in March and wisterias during late April; old garden and specie roses in May and June; herbaceous borders in July and autumn colour and rose hips in September. The collection of Silk Road Hybrids in the new Mattock Rose Garden is being designed to illustrate how those roses that spread from China to Rome by 500 BC gave the western world roses that smell, and flower, so beautifully all summer long. Connecting the history of the house, the history of the Mattock family and the long horticultural tradition of Kingston Bagpuize and its adjoining parishes is a new exhibition of old photographs, catalogues, horticultural tools and machinery. Specialist…

Loseley Park

Loseley Park, built in 1562 by Sir William More to entertain Queen Elizabeth I, is a fine example of Elizabethan architecture - its mellow stone brought from the ruins of Waverley Abbey now over 850 years old. The house is set amid magnificent parkland grazed by the Loseley Jersey herd. Many visitors comment on the very friendly atmosphere of the house. It is a country house, the family home of descendants of the builder. Furniture, paintings and artefacts have been collected by the family since Loseley was built, including panelling from Nonsuch Palace, English and European furniture, a unique chalk fireplace and porcelain from the East. However, with all the history, it is still a family home. Loseley Park is a stunning wedding venue with ceremonies in the Great Hall and receptions in the 17th century Tithe Barn. There are also flexible facilities for corporate and private functions. Highly rated film location. Christian Cancer/Parkinson’s Disease Help Centre. Garden A magnificent Cedar of Lebanon presides over the front lawn. Parkland adjoins the lawn and a small lake adds to the beauty of Front Park. Walled Garden: Based on a Gertrude Jekyll design, the five gardens include the award-winning rose garden containing over 1,000 bushes, a magnificent vine walk, herb garden, colourful fruit and flower garden and the serene white garden. Other features…

Goodwood House

Goodwood is one of England’s finest sporting estates. At its heart lies Goodwood House, the ancestral home of the Dukes of Richmond and Gordon, direct descendants of King Charles II. Today, it is lived in by the present Duke’s son and heir, the Earl of March and Kinrara, with his wife and family. Their home is open to the public on at least 60 days a year. The art collection includes a magnificent group of British paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries, such as the celebrated views of London by Canaletto and superb sporting scenes by George Stubbs. The rooms are filled with fine English and French furniture, Gobelins tapestries and Sevres porcelain. Special works of art are regularly rotated and displayed and the books can be viewed by written application to the Curator (there is a special charge for these viewings). The summer exhibition in 2011, entitled ‘The Horse’, will look at the role horses have played in Goodwood’s history. They are well represented in its art collection, from the great Wootton paintings of the 2nd Duke of Richmond’s hunters to Dame Elizabeth Frink’s lifesize bronze of a racehorse. Goodwood is also renowned for its entertaining, enjoying a reputation for excellence. Goodwood’s own organic farm provides food for the table in the various restaurants on the estate. With internationally renowned horseracing and motor sport events, the finest Downland golf course in the UK,…

Ipswich Museum

Explore Ipswich’s past with stories that will inspire you. This fascinating and unique museum gives you the opportunity to meet the famous woolly mammoth, the…

Cowdray - Historic Tudor House

Award winning Cowdray is one of southern England’s most important early Tudor courtier’s houses, visited by King Henry VIII & Queen Elizabeth I. Partially destroyed by fire in 1793, its…

Glynde Place

Glynde Place is a magnificent example of Elizabethan architecture commanding exceptionally fine views of the South Downs. Amongst the collections of 400 years of family living can be…

St Mary's House and Gardens

Features in Simon Jenkins’ book ‘England’s Thousand Best Houses’. St. Mary’s is an enchanting, medieval timber-framed house, with fine panelled interiors, including the unique Elizabethan ‘Painted Room’, giving an air of tranquillity and timelessness. Interesting displays of family memorabilia and rare Napoleonic collection. The formal gardens with amusing topiary, include an exceptional example of the prehistoric Ginkgo Biloba, magnificent Magnolia Grandiflora. The five acres of grounds include the Victorian ‘Secret’ Garden with original fruit wall and pineapple pits, Rural Museum, Jubilee Rose Garden, Terracotta Garden, Woodland Walk leading to Landscape Water Garden with island and dramatic waterfall and unusual circular Poetry Garden. In the heart of the South Downs National Park, St. Mary’s is a house of…