A small round house with diamond-shaped windows in a sunny garden — View of house and Exe Estuary at A la Ronde, Devon | © National Trust Images/Chris Lacey

Architecture

Discover the history of the architecture and interior design of houses we care for and how we preserve the features and collections at buildings that date back to the 11th century.

The North Front of Seaton Delaval Hall, Northumberland

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What is Baroque?

Explore the Baroque cultural movement and discover how its opulent, theatrical style swept across Europe in the 17th century, influencing art, architecture and music.

Visitors on the Palladian Bridge at Prior Park, Bath

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What is Palladianism?

Learn how Palladianism combined classically symmetrical exteriors with lavish interiors and went on to gain huge popularity with renowned architects in England in the 18th century.

A group of visitors standing outside the East Front at Tyntesfield, Somerset

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What is Gothic Revival?

Discover how it became popular in the 18th and 19th centuries to style literature, architecture, art, music and more after the features of the late medieval Gothic period.

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The history of architecture

Learn how both social and technological change have influenced architecture throughout history, and find out where to see examples of each period at the places we look after.

A round two-storey building set with a conical roof is set into a wall, made of the same greyish stone. There's a stairway within the wall to the left of the building and behind it is a pink flowering cherry tree. It's a bright, sunny spring day and the sky is blue.

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What is a Dovecote?

Dovecotes were built by wealthy and aristocratic families from the Norman period onwards and doves were kept for both food, feathers and as status symbols.

A little thatched building sits in a wooded glade with warm evening light on the foreground grass

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A hermitage is both a place where religious men lived to escape the temptations of the world and a retreat for 18th century aristocrats to take rest on their walks. See these architectural features across Britain.

The War Memorial Garden at Cliveden, Buckinghamshire

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War memorials in our care

We care for around 170 war memorials, with about 70 of those from the First World War. Discover the stories behind the monuments and find out where you can find them.

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Interior design through the ages

As fashions change over the eras, so do our homes. Explore the history of British interior design and learn about the centuries of design innovation at the places we care for.