- Heritage

Christchurch Mansion

Christchurch Mansion is built on the site of the Holy Trinity Priory,…

Tissington Hall

Tucked…

Belvoir Castle

Belvoir Castle, home of the Duke and Duchess of Rutland, commands a magnificent view over the Vale of Belvoir. The name Belvoir, meaning beautiful view, dates back to Norman times, when Robert de Todeni, Standard Bearer to William the Conqueror, built the first castle on this superb site. Destruction caused by two Civil Wars and by a catastrophic fire in 1816 have breached the continuity of Belvoir’s history. The present building owes much to the inspiration and taste of Elizabeth, 5th Duchess of Rutland and was built after the fire. Inside the Castle are notable art treasures including works by Poussin, Holbein, Rubens, and Reynolds, Gobelin and Mortlake tapestries, Chinese silks, furniture, fine porcelain and sculpture. Gardens A remarkable survival of English garden history that are being sensitively restored to their former glory. The Duchess’s Garden, opened to all day visitors in 2005, contain a collection of Victorian daffodils planted sympathetically with primroses and bluebells, against a background of rhododendrons and azaleas. There are also rare specimen trees, many the largest of their type in the British Isles. Belvoir Castle is available for exclusive hire as a film location and for conferences, weddings and special events. It is…

Stanford Hall

Stanford has been the home of the Cave family, ancestors of the present owner, since 1430. In the 1690s, Sir Roger Cave commissioned the Smiths of Warwick to pull down the old Manor House and build the present Hall, which is an excellent example of their work and of the William and Mary period. As well as over 5000 books, the handsome Library contains many interesting manuscripts, the oldest dating from 1150. The splendid pink and gold Ballroom has a fine coved ceiling with four trompe l’oeil shell corners. Throughout the house are portraits of the family and examples of furniture and objects which they collected over the centuries. There is also a collection of Royal Stuart portraits, previously belonging to the Cardinal Duke of York, the last of the male Royal Stuarts. An unusual collection of family costumes is displayed in the Old Dining Room, which also houses some early Tudor portraits and a fine Empire chandelier. The Hall and Stables are set in an attractive Park on the banks of Shakespeare’s Avon. There is a walled Rose Garden behind the Stables.…

Burghley House

Burghley House, home of the Cecil family for over 400 years, was built as a country seat during the latter part of the 16th century by Sir William Cecil, later Lord Burghley, principal adviser and Lord Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth. The House was completed in 1587 and there have been few alterations to the architecture since that date thus making Burghley one of the finest examples of late Elizabethan design in England. The interior was remodelled in the late 17th century by John, 5th Earl of Exeter who was a collector of fine art on a huge scale, establishing the immense collection of art treasures at Burghley. Burghley is truly a ‘Treasure House’, containing one of the largest private collections of Italian art, unique examples of Chinese and Japanese porcelain and superb items of 18th century furniture. The remodelling work of the 17th century means that examples of the work of the principal artists and craftsmen of the period are to be found at Burghley: Antonio Verrio, Grinling Gibbons and Louis Laguerre all made major contributions to the beautiful interiors. Park and Gardens The house is set in a 300-acre deer park landscaped by ‘Capability’ Brown. A lake was created by him and delightful avenues of mature trees feature largely in his design. The park is home to a large herd of Fallow deer, established in the 16th century. Opened in 2007, the Gardens of Surprise incorporates the existing Contemporary Sculpture Garden, containing many specimen trees and shrubs, and the new Elizabethan Garden, over an acre of yew mazes, revolving Caesars’ heads and spurting fountains. The private gardens around…

Grimsthorpe Castle, Park & Gardens

Home of the Willoughby de Eresby family since 1516. Examples of 13th century architecture and building styles from the Tudor period. The dramatic 18th century North Front is Sir John Vanbrugh’s last major work. State Rooms and picture galleries with magnificent contents including tapestries, furniture and paintings. Unusual collection of thrones, fabrics and objects from the old House of Lords, associated with the family’s hereditary Office of Lord Great Chamberlain. The Grounds and Gardens 3,000 acre landscaped park with lakes, ancient woods, woodland walk with all-weather footpath, adventure playground. Family cycle trail and cycle hire shop. Park tours in a vehicle with the Ranger. Unusual ornamental vegetable garden and orchard, created in the 1960s by the Countess of Ancaster and John Fowler. Intricate parterres lined with box hedges. Herbaceous border with yew topiary framing views across to the lake. Woodland garden. Groups can explore the park from the comfort of their own coach by booking a one-hour, escorted park tour, with opportunities to discover more about the site of the Cistercian Abbey, the ancient deer parks, historic woodland and extensive series of early tree-lined avenues, Special study days can be booked including ‘How Grimsthorpe Works in the…

Doddington Hall & Gardens

Romantic Smythson mansion which stands today as it was built in 1595 with its mellow walled gardens and gatehouse. Never sold since it was built, Doddington is still very much a family home and its contents reflect over 400 years of unbroken family occupation. There is an elegant Georgian interior with fine collections of porcelain, paintings and textiles. The five acres of beautiful gardens contain a superb layout of box-edged parterres filled with bearded Iris in midsummer, sumptuous borders that provide colour in all seasons, and a wild garden with a marvellous succession of spring bulbs and flowering shrubs set amongst mature trees. Exclusive private group visits with guided tours a speciality. Please call the Estate Office to discuss your requirements. Award winning facilities for disabled visitors, include sensory tours of house and gardens for the Visually Impaired; free use of electric buggy and panaoramic tour of upper floors - please call for details. Free audioguides and children’s activity trail. Civil weddings and receptions at Doddington Hall and in The Littlehouse next door. Newly resurrected working walled Kitchen Garden. Farm shop with kitchen garden and local produce plus cafe serving delicious, seasonal and freshly cooked…

Lamport Hall & Gardens

Home of the Isham family from 1560 to 1976. The 17th and 18th century facade is by John Webb and the Smiths of Warwick. The Hall contains an outstanding collection of furniture, china and paintings including portraits by Van Dyck, Kneller and Lely and other important works of art, many brought back from a Grand Tour in the 17th century. The Library contains books dating back to the 16th century and the Cabinet Room houses rare Italian cabinets. The first floor includes a replicated 17th century bedchamber and a photographic record of Sir Gyles Isham, a Hollywood actor, who initiated the restoration. Refreshments are served in the Victorian dining room. The gardens owe much to the 10th Baronet who, in the mid 19th century, created the famous rockery and populated it with the first garden gnomes. He also made a small Italian garden with a shell fountain, planted herbaceous borders and wisteria, which still thrives today. Other features include an 18th century box bower and a 17th century cockpit. The newly restored 2 acre walled garden, which opened in 2010, now houses one of the largest cutting gardens in England and brings the total area of gardens to over 5 acres. Many of the plants used in the cutting garden were sourced from Piet Oudolf’s Dutch nursery. The Lamport Hall Preservation Trust was formed in 1974 by Sir Gyles…

Holme Pierrepont Hall

This charming 16th Century manor house set in thirty acres of Park and gardens with a carved Charles II Staircase, family portraits and furniture is still lived in by descendents of the Pierrepont family. The Ball Room, Drawing Room and Long…

Eastnor Castle

In the style of a medieval Welsh-border fortress, Eastnor Castle was built in the early 19th century by John First Earl Somers and is a good example of the great Norman and Gothic revival in architecture of that time. The Castle is dramatically situated in a 5000 acre estate in the Malvern Hills and remains the family home of the Hervey- Bathursts, his direct descendants. This fairytale home is as dramatic inside as it is outside. A vast, 60’ high Hall leads to a series of State Rooms including a Gothic Drawing Room designed by Pugin, with its original furniture, and a Library in the style of the Italian Renaissance, with views across the Lake. The Hervey-Bathursts have lovingly restored the interiors and many of the Castle’s treasures which have been buried away in the cellars and attics since the Second World War - early Italian Fine Art, medieval armour, 17th century Venetian furniture, Flemish tapestries and paintings by Van Dyck, Reynolds, Romney and Watts and early photographs by Julia Margaret Cameron. Gardens Castellated terraces descend to a 21 acre lake with a restored lakeside walk. The arboretum holds a famous collection of mature specimen trees. There are spectacular views of the Malvern ills across a 300 acre deer park, once part of…