Adelaide Cottage was rebuilt on the site of an old Head Keeper’s Lodge in 1831 in the picturesque style under the supervision of architect Sir Jeffry Wyatville, for the wife of King William IV – Queen Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen – as a summer retreat. Building materials from Royal Lodge were used in its construction and many royal experts have described the cottage as one of the most “aesthetically pleasing” residences that make up the royal estate.
The property was often frequented by Queen Victoria who would take breakfast or tea in the grounds – so much so a private carriageway was created for her. Her beloved pet dog Dash is also buried on the grounds. Another famous resident was Group Captain Peter Townsend, who was equerry to George VI from 1944-1952 and famously had a love affair with Princess Margaret. He was given the property as a grace-and-favour residence in 1944, and reportedly referred to the cottage as an “icebox” as it only had two radiators.
The 4 bedroom cottage has been a grace-and-favour property since then, and before 2018, the cottage was home to Simon Rhodes, the son of Elizabeth II’s first cousin Margaret Rhodes.
The cottage underwent major renovations in 2015 with the historical architecture still intact. At one point the cottage had elaborate decorations, with the master bedroom still reportedly boasting a ceiling covered with gilded dolphins and a rope decoration originally from the 19th century yacht Royal George, as well as having a slate roof and a marble Graeco-Egyptian fireplace.
In the summer of 2022, Adelaide Cottage became the home of the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. At the time, it was a gift from the Queen, who had the sole decision over who resided there. The family pays market rent, and have also retained their other two residences; Apartment 1a at Kensington Palace and Anmer Hall in Norfolk.
The move was driven by William and Kate’s desire to give their children a more rural and private upbringing, away from living in the tourist attraction of Kensington Palace in London. The cottage is also closer to Princess Kate’s parents, brother and sister, and means George, Charlotte and Louis can attend school nearby together and live as normal a life as possible.
Adelaide Cottage is a private royal residence and as such as not open to visitors, but Windsor Castle is nearby and offers royal fans numerous exhibitions and tours.
]]>Greenway House was first mentioned as ‘Greynway’ in 1493, with a Tudor mansion gracing the site in the 16th century where Humphrey Gilbert (half-brother of Sir Walter Raleigh) was born. The present house was built in the 18th century however, and was added to over the next century and a half.
While the house is famed for its beauty and location, another reason draws people from all over the world come to Greenway – it was the holiday home of Agatha Christie, the ‘Queen of Crime’ and one of the world’s most prolific authors. She bought the house in 1938 with her husband, archaeologist Max Mallowan, and lived there until she died in 1976 (and he, 2 years later).
Though it’s widely accepted she didn’t actually write any of her novels at Greenway, it does feature in Five Little Pigs, Towards Zero, and Dead Man’s Folly. With a deep appreciation for the house, Christie once described it as ‘the loveliest place in the world’.
Today Greenway House is open to visitors and offers a rare insight into Christie’s private life. Each room is packed full of the trinkets she loved, including the dominoes and card games she played in front of the Drawing Room’s fireplace, and her beautiful Steinway piano. Her picnic baskets and walking sticks tell tales of hot, lazy afternoons in the grounds, and since her family were avid collectors there are a staggering 11,000 items in the house to peruse.
You’ll find china, silverware, pottery, tapestries, wooden Maucheline-ware and a lovely collection of Stevengraphs – silk bookmarks or pictures made by Thomas Stevens, a Coventry silk ribbon manufacturer. Of course an intimidating collection of books are also piled high in every available space and on every available surface.
The grounds include a walled garden, peach house, vinery, and a beautiful fernery, as well as a quirky dog cemetery where her pets are buried. Unusually, there is also a Napoleonic-era battery built around 1790 in the grounds, and further along a Boathouse may be found that was the ‘scene of the crime’ in the Poirot mystery Dead Man’s Folly!
Greenway House is located near Brixham in Devon, and can be accessed from Torquay and Paignton by following the signs to Brixham until you reach the village of Churston. From there brown tourist signs direct you to Greenway House, at which there is parking. The nearest train stations are Churston, 2 miles away, and Paignton, 4.5 miles away. A daily ferry service also runs from Dittisham, where pay and display parking is available at The Ham car park.
]]>It is believed that the site of Anglesey Abbey was first used as a monastery around 1100, and grew to become a thriving monastic settlement throughout the early Middle Ages. However, like many similar sites across England, Anglesey Priory was dissolved in 1535 during the reign of Henry VIII.
Becoming a private house, the site was modified several times over the next 400 years, including its conversion to the Jacobean-style building seen today and its renaming as Anglesey Abbey.
It was in the 1930s however that Anglesey Abbey really saw a great transition when it came into the possession of Huttleston Broughton, 1st Lord Fairhaven. A widespread program of development saw the creation of magnificent gardens as well as alterations to the house itself, inspired by his love of 18th century culture.
Upon his death, he left the house to the care of the National Trust with the instructions that it be preserved as “a complete and furnished entity so that it retains as far as possible the character of an English Home”.
Today, visitors to Anglesey Abbey can explore both the beautiful gardens and the grand house – including surviving elements of the original Augustinian monastery, such as the chapter house and monk’s parlour.
The house itself boasts impressive collections of antique furnishings, sculpture and art as well as a wide collection of historic clocks, one of Lord Fairhaven’s particular passions.
The garden’s highlights include a fantastic collection of statues and sculptures and a 150 year-old working watermill, as well as a host of activities for children such as a spectacular giant tree-house!
Anglesey Abbey is located in the village of Lode, 6 miles northeast of Cambridge on the B1102 road. There is free parking 50 yards from the site, while the number 11 bus stops a 5-minute walk away at the Quy Road Stop. The nearest train stations are Cambridge and Newmarket, 6 miles away.
]]>Constructed in 1802, Anmer Hall was originally the seat of the Coldham family, but was bought at auction in 1896 for £25,000 by famed serial fraudster Ernest Terah Hooley before his first bankruptcy. The future King Edward VII had attempted to purchase the property prior to Hooley’s acquisition, and ultimately bought the property from him at cost in 1898, after which it became part of the Sandringham Estate.
Anmer Hall was then leased to John Loader Maffey, 1st Baron Rugby who served as Governor-General of Sudan and held diplomatic posts in the Colonial Office. His daughter, Penelope Aitken, socialised with the Royal Family there. From 1972-1990, Anmer Hall was leased to the Duke and Duchess of Kent as their country house.
It was subsequently rented for the next decade by Hugh van Cutsem, a close university friend of King Charles III, during which time the house was often visited by Prince William and Prince Harry when they were children. (Van Cutsem Snr’s sons, William and Nicholas, are now godfather to Prince George and Prince Louis respectively.) The house was then leased to the family of James Everett, owner of the Norfolk Oak kitchen timber company, but this lease was later terminated once Anmer Hall was allocated for the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as a wedding gift from Queen Elizabeth II in 2011. It is situated just two miles from the monarch’s Sandringham home.
The couple spent £1.5 million pounds refurbishing the Georgian mansion (paid for by private royal family funds) with renovations including a new roof, new kitchen, the addition of a conservatory, a complete internal redecoration and an extensive tree-planting programme to provide more privacy. Following Princess Charlotte’s birth in 2015, the Cambridge’s took up full-time residence at Amner Hall while William focused on his family and flying career with East Anglian Air Ambulance.
Today, Anmer Hall continues to be Prince William, Princess Kate and their three children’s private country home, and the family reportedly spend many weekends, school holidays and Christmas there. The family spent most of the national lockdowns during the Covid pandemic at Amner, homeschooling their children and continuing to conduct royal engagements via video calls.
Anmer Hall has 10 bedrooms, and reportedly also has a swimming pool, private tennis court, chicken coop and beekeeping area.
Anmer Hall is located about 110 miles north of London in Norfolk. It is a private royal residence and as such does not host visitors.
]]>Managed by English Heritage, today Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens are open for visitors and boast a formal Yew Garden, Magnolia Terrace, medieval tower and Victorian Tearoom.
Since the 13th century, the Middleton family has lived at Belsay almost continuously. Sir Richard de Middleton, Lord Chancellor to King Henry III owned the estate from 1270 and after a series of treasonous owners, the estate returned to the family in 1391.
By 1298 a high status house stood at Belsay, grand enough to host Edward I when he went hunting nearby. In the 14th century, a great fortified pele tower was added to the castle – a statement of the family’s wealth and a visible response to unrest in the Scotland-England border.
Under King James I from 1603, there was relative peace in the borders, encouraging wealthy landowners like the Middletons to build more obviously comfortable homes. A mansion wing was added onto the castle by Thomas Middleton II, a keen Presbytarian and Parliamentary supporter during the Civil War. An engraving dating back to 1728 shows the castle’s magnificent formal walled gardens dotted with statues.
It was Sir Charles Monck (formerly Middleton) who had a passion for the Classics – especially Greek – and on his honeymoon to Greece made sketches and measurements of the architecture. When he returned, Sir Charles built a new hall at Belsay in the Greek Revival style. Like a Greek temple, the hall sat on a stepped plinth and the colossal Doric columns supporting the portico were based on the ancient Theseion temple in Athens.
During World War Two, the hall was used by the army, the kitchen garden for provisions. The family could no longer afford to maintain the property, selling off parts of the land and furniture from the mansion.
Today, you can visit the extensive Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens between 10am and 5pm. Climb the 56 stairs up the medieval castle tower, exploring the rooms and admiring the elaborate wall paintings. In the manor area, you can still see the old cooking range.
Sir Charles also had an interest in gardens, and his wide travels around Europe inspired the Picturesque-style quarry garden at Belsay. The layout of the gardens at Belsay, including exotic conifers, Scots pines, a new lake and a terrace walk, have remained largely unchanged since the 19th century, restored to their appearance in the 1920s and 1930s.
After exploring, head to the Victorian Tearoom in the hall’s original kitchen for lunch or a slice of cake.
Just off the A696, half hour north of Newcastle, Belsay is off the B6309 across the Coal Burn. Otherwise, the X75 bus stops at Belsay.
]]>Blenheim Palace was built between 1705 and 1722 after the land on which it now stands was gifted to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. Marlborough had been rewarded for his victory over French and Bavarian forces at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704, after which the palace was named. He was allowed funding from the Crown to build his new home, and in place of a monetary rental payment it was instead capitulated that every year on the battle’s anniversary, a copy of the French royal flag be delivered to the monarch.
Marlborough’s wife Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough was one of Queen Anne‘s favourites and Mistress of the Robes, holding much influence over her both personally and politically. When in 1711 the pair had a furious dispute, funding for the construction of Blenheim ceased, and the Marlboroughs were required to finish the project from their own funds.
Following its completion, Blenheim Palace became the home of the Churchill family for the next 300 years – not without financial difficulty however. For many years at risk of falling into disrepair, Blenheim was saved in the 19th century by the 9th Duke of Marlborough’s marriage to Vanderbilt heiress Consuelo, who brought with her a vast marriage settlement. Though the marriage was an unhappy one and the couple eventually divorced, Blenheim was restored to the prestige it once enjoyed.
On 30 November 1874, it also became the birthplace of Winston Churchill, one of Britain’s most famous leaders and descendant of the 1st Duke of Marlborough.
Today Blenheim Palace remains the home of the Churchills, with the 12th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough currently residing there. Whether you choose to wander Blenheim Palace independently or as part of a guided tour, you can enjoy endless artistic masterpieces such as the Blenheim Tapestry depicting Lord Marlborough accepting the surrender of the French, and the stunning ceiling paintings of Louis Laguerre. The 18th century house itself is also an architectural marvel with its Baroque design by John Vanburgh, the architect of the stunning Castle Howard.
Exhibitions include “The Untold Story” which explores the lives of the palace’s inhabitants, as well as the Churchill Exhibition, an insightful look at the wartime Prime Minister’s life. The grounds are also spectacular with over 2000 acres of parkland and gardens, a butterfly house, adventure playground, mazes and even a train!
Blenheim Palace has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987 and features as one of our Top Ten Tourist Attractions in the United Kingdom.
Blenheim Palace is situated in the village of Woodstock near Oxford, on the A44 road. Free parking is available at the site, however Blenheim encourages the use of green transport where possible. A number of bus services run to the gates of Blenheim, with a Park and Ride service also available on busy weekends. The nearest train station is Hanborough, around 3 miles away, while Oxford station is around 9 miles away.
]]>Though a monastic building existed on the site of Boughton House in the Middle Ages, most of what can be seen today was constructed in the late 17th century by Ralph, 1st Duke of Montagu. Previously serving as English ambassador to France, the influence of his time in the country can be seen in the house’s architecture, reminiscent of the styles of great French palaces such as Versailles. As such, Boughton House has often been dubbed ‘The English Versailles’.
The 2nd Duke of Montagu changed little when he inherited Boughton, except to the landscape and gardens in which he added avenues of elms, sculptural earth forms, and many water features. His role in the gardens earned him the nickname ‘John the Planter’.
After the 2nd Duke’s death, the Dukedom of Montagu became extinct for nearly 2 centuries, as Boughton House passed through the family’s female lines. As each of these woman were married into family’s whose main residences were elsewhere, Boughton largely sat dormant, before in the 20th century once more becoming the home of a Montagu descendant – the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry.
Though still a private charity-run estate and family home, Boughton is open to visitors in Spring and Summer, and boasts impressive baroque state rooms – considered to be some of the best-preserved in Britain! A grand collection of art, antiques and furniture also feature at Boughton, including paintings by Gainsborough, Van Dyck, El Greco and John Wootton.
Visitors can also enjoy the formal gardens and parkland of the estate, featuring a Sensory Garden, Rose Garden, and ancient Lily Pond, alongside a picturesque series of waterways, lakes and reflecting pools. Both peaceful and awe-inspiring, Boughton House provides an eclectic visit to one of Britain’s most magnificent 17th-century manor houses, in a fascinating blend of British and French design.
Boughton House is located 3 miles north of Kettering in Northamptonshire off the A43, with parking available at the site. Buses and trains both run into Kettering, from which a taxi can be taken the remaining 3 miles to the site.
]]>After the execution of Charles I in 1649, Scotland declared loyalty to his son, Charles II. The English dispatched an army to Scotland and, after weeks of manoeuvring and futile negotiations, the two sides met at Dunbar.
Although initially in the stronger position, the Scottish redeployed their forces allowing Cromwell to take advantage of the tactical situation and engineer a Parliamentarian victory. It was claimed that as many as 3,000 Scots lost their lives, and many more died later in prison or during forced marches. Broxmouth Park also is the site where Sir William Douglas’s gravestone lies after he was killed in the battle.
The mansion at Broxmouth Park itself was built for the Duke of Roxburghe in the late 18th century, with Queen Victoria paying a visit in 1878 when she planted a cedar tree in the grounds. She also had an iron staircase built at the back of Broxmouth to look over the grounds, the site of the famous battle and Cromwell’s Mount – from where the general directed his victory.
]]>The imposing architecture of Castle Howard was constructed from 1699 for the 3rd Earl of Carlisle, and took over one hundred years to complete. Technically a stately home, not a castle, it is decorated in the Baroque style and was designed by John Vanbrugh. Despite no architectural experience, Vanbrugh managed to pull off the impressive feat.
Intriguingly, the sheer length of time and the number of Earls that oversaw the building of the house means that it is quite mismatched in design, with later Earls did not adhering to its original plans and leaving the house with a varied array of architecture.
Sadly, much of the original house did not survive into the modern day due to extensive fire damage in 1940. A large amount of the building had to be restored and has since been brought back to life via the long and tireless project of restoration that ensued. The east wing however remains a shell.
The survival of the house today is owed to George Howard’s efforts in the 20th century. After the Howard family suffered devastating losses during the Second World War, the estate was expected to be divided and sold. George returned from war wounded and miraculously undertook the task of rebuilding and restoring the house however, in 1952 opening the estate to the public.
Today, Castle Howard provides a wealth of art, architecture and history to explore, with its vast number of paintings, tapestries, sculpture and furniture collected over various Howard generations. Guides are present all over the house to inform you of its history, and tours of the house and garden are available with admission.
The house is not the only attraction of this estate – 1000 acres of woodland walks and lakeside footpaths provide visitors with a chance to see the beautifully landscaped grounds and rich horticulture. The features of the grounds include the rose and vegetables gardens, the Ray Wood arboretum, fountains, lakes, the mausoleum and the statue collection.
Castle Howard provides a perfect family day out, with activities and playgrounds for children and the land train a fun way to get around the gardens!
Castle Howard is located 15 miles northeast of York and is easily accessible from the A64, with parking available at the site. The CastleLine bus service runs from York directly to the site, while Malton is its nearest train station 6 miles away, from which the CastleLine bus or a taxi may be taken.
]]>The current incarnation of Castle Ward was built for Bernard Ward, 1st Viscount Bangor in the early 1760s. While the architect is unknown, there is conjecture that it may have been James Bridges, a Bristol-based architect whose work there shares many similarities with the castle.
Interestingly, the mansion was built with dual-architecture, representing the opposing tastes of Viscount Bangor and his wife, Lady Ann Bligh. The entrance side of the building is Palladian in style, with columns supporting a triangular pediment much like that of Buckingham Palace, while the opposite side is Georgian Gothic, with pointed windows, finials, and battlements, like that of Strawberry Hill House in London. This clash of styles continued through the house’s interior, with a clear divide down the middle!
Castle Ward remained in the keeping of the Ward family until the death of the 6th Viscount in 1950, following which it was given to the National Trust in 1952.
Castle Ward is most famous for its contrasting architectural styles and magnificent views of the rolling hills of County Down. The stunning 820-acre estate includes an exotic four-tiered sunken garden and woodland trails that wind down to the tranquil Lough, a Victorian laundry, a corn mill and sawmill as well as the Georgian farmyard and Whispering Wood, instantly recognisable as a Game of Thrones historic site.
Still managed by the National Trust today, visitors to Castle Ward can explore the vast mansion house at leisure. From admiring its beautiful collection of artwork and furniture, to donning a historical outfit in the Victorian Past Times centre, a visit to Castle Ward is never dull!
The surrounding estate may also be enjoyed, in which guests may see the animals in the farmyard, picnic in the grounds and visit the gift shop and stableyard tea room.
Castle Ward is located 1 mile from Strangford in the County Down, Northern Ireland, and can be reached via the A25. The Downpatrick to Strangford bus service stops at the site’s gates, while there is also a ferry service crossing from nearby Portaferry to Strangford.
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