Places in history

If our places could talk they'd have some stories to tell. Discover their rich histories and watch them spring to life before your eyes

Corfe Castle with the main gatehouse in the foreground — Corfe Castle is a battle-scarred survivor with a turbulent past

Significant places

Visitors on the drive to the west front at Montacute House, Somerset

Scandalous stories from our places

The places we look after have rich histories, and some of them are hiding stories sordid enough to raise a blush. Intrigued? Read on…

An archive black and white photograph of Mrs Greville standing with a dog in her arms

Places with a royal story to tell

Many of the places we look after have connections to kings, queens and other members of royalty. Here's our pick of the best. Why not visit to uncover the full story?

Children playing outside at Speke Hall, Garden and Estate, Merseyside

Tudor connections at our places

The places we look after have many links to the Tudor period. They’ve received royal visitors, hidden Catholic priests and witnessed pivotal events.

George II chamber pot at Dunham Massey, Cheshire

Toilets with a story to tell

Apparently we spend three years of our lives sitting on the loo. Discover some of the toilets at our places that reveal an unusual perspective on history.

Find out where we used to go

The house and upper pond at Petworth House and Park, West Sussex — The house and upper pond at Petworth, West Sussex

How to create a Capability Brown landscape

The landscapes designed by 'Capability' Brown are easy to mistake as works of nature. Discover how much effort actually went in to bringing these ground-breaking designs to life.

Find out more

Commemorating the First World War

The north west corner of Castle Drogo, Devon

Country house life during the First World War

Many country houses were transformed during the First World War to help the war effort. We explore their stories and others told in The Country House at War by Simon Greaves.

First Mounting of the Welsh Guards. Soldiers stand in formation.

Powis Castle remembers its WWI hero

2016 marks the centenary of the battle of the Somme. In commemoration we’ll be exploring life in the trenches and telling the story of Percy Clive, 4th Earl of Powis’ eldest son, and heir to the vast family estates.

Front view of Sandham Memorial Chapel, Hampshire

The 'Holy Box' at Sandham Memorial Chapel

It may not look extraordinary on the outside, but step inside Sandham Memorial Chapel and you'll find a one-of-a-kind artwork commemorating those that lost their lives in the First World War. Find out more about the paintings and how the project developed.

The sixteenth-century Gate Tower on the West Front at Coughton Court, Warwickshire — Arms, ammunition and horses were stored at Coughton Court

Connections to the Gunpowder Plot

Links to the 1605 Gunpowder Plot can be found at historic houses and former hunting forests we look after including Lyveden New Bield, home to infamous plotter Francis Tresham.

Plotting to blow up Parliament