House & garden highlights

Derbyshire

A baroque mansion set in a stunning landscape park, Calke has become famous as a graphic illustration of the English country house in decline. Its interiors are essentially unchanged since the 1880s.

Hardwick Hall

One of Britain's greatest Elizabethan houses, Hardwick Hall is remarkable for being almost unchanged since its builder Bess of Hardwick lived here. Walled courtyards enclose fine gardens, orchards and a herb garden.

Kedleston Hall

This masterpiece of neo-classical architecture boasts the most complete sequence of Robert Adam interiors in England. The lovely gardens contain celebrated displays of azaleas and rhododendrons. The surrounding parkland has cascades and lakes.

Sudbury Hall

The lavish interior of Sudbury Hall featured in the BBC's 'Pride and Prejudice'. The Great Staircase is one of the most elaborate of its kind in an English house. You can uncover life 'below stairs' with our Meet the Butler tours.

The Museum of Childhood at Sudbury Hall

The Museum has fascinating displays about children from the 18th century onwards. There are chimney climbs for adventurous 'sweep-sized' youngsters, a Victorian school room and a fine collection of toys, games and dolls.

Lincolnshire

Belton House

Belton is one of the finest examples of Restoration country house architecture. Its stunning interiors contain exceptionally fine plasterwork and wood-carving. The grounds include the largest children's adventure playground in Lincolnshire.

Tattershall Castle

There are six floors to explore of this dramatic 15th-century fortified and moated tower. From the battlements you are rewarded with spectacular views across the Fens.

Woolsthorpe Manor

This small 17th-century manor house was the birthplace and family home of Sir Isaac Newton. In the garden you can see a descendant of the apple tree that inspired Newton to discover gravity.

Northamptonshire

Canons Ashby House

This tranquil Elizabethan manor house is set in beautiful gardens with colourful herbaceous borders and an orchard featuring varieties of fruit trees from the 16th century.

Lyveden New Bield

Lyveden, a striking incomplete Elizabethan garden lodge, remains virtually unaltered since 1605. The water garden, with its terraces and spiral mounds, remains one of the oldest surviving layouts in Britain.

Nottinghamshire

Clumber Park

This vast park has a superb serpentine lake at its heart and the longest avenue of lime trees in Europe. Bring your own, or hire a cycle and explore our woodland trails. The Clumber Chapel is a Gothic cathedral in miniature, and culinary tastes of the past come to life in the Kitchen Garden.

Mr Straw's House

A fascinating 1920s tradesman's home with its 1920s wallpaper, heavy Victorian furniture and household objects, Mr Straw's House provides a rare glimpse into interwar middle-class life. There is a lovely traditional suburban garden.

The Workhouse

This 19th-century institution for paupers is one of the best-preserved workhouses in England. You can explore the segregated rooms and the master's quarters to discover the thought-provoking story of the 'welfare' system, created by the New Poor Law of 1834.

The National Trust

House & garden highlights