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BERKSHIRE / BUCKINGHAMSHIRE  / CAMBRIDGESHIRE  /  CHESHIRE  /  CORNWALL
CUMBRIA  / COUNTY DURHAM  /  DERBYSHIRE  /  DEVON  /  DORSET  /  ESSEX
GLOUCESTERSHIRE  /  HAMPSHIRE  /  HEREFORD & WORCESTER  /  HERTFORDSHIRE
ISLE OF WIGHT  /  KENT  /  LANCASHIRE  /  LEICESTERSHIRE  /  LINCOLNSHIRE
GREATER MANCHESTER  /  NORFOLK  / NORTHAMPTONSHIRE  /  NORTHUMBERLAND
OXFORDSHIRE  / SHROPSHIRE  /  SOMERSET  /  STAFFORDSHIRE  /  SURREY  /  SUSSEX
WARWICKSHIRE  /  WEST MIDLANDS  /  WILTSHIRE  /  YORKSHIRE



 
 

BERKSHIRE

ETON COLLEGE (Windsor).  Founded 1440 by Henry VI. Open to visitors during  summer season. 

DORNEY COURT (Nr Windsor)  - c1440. Lived in by the present family for over 450 years. 
 
 

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

CHENIES MANOR HOUSE (Chenies) - Dates from the Tudor period. It was the home of the Earls of Bedford and was visited by both Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. 

NETHER WINCHENDON HOUSE (Aylesbury) - Medieval/Tudor House with 18th century additions. 
 
 

CAMBRIDGESHIRE

ELY CATHEDRAL

KING'S COLLEGE (Cambridge) 

PETERBOROUGH CATHEDRAL (Peterborough) 
 
 

CHESHIRE

ADLINGTON HALL (Nr Macclesfield) - Built between 1450-1505.

BRAMALL HALL (Bramhall, Stockport) -  Magnificent Tudor manor house. Contains Tudor wall paintings and Elizabethan fine plaster ceilings. Vast parkland with gardens and a lake. 

GAWSWORTH HALL (Macclesfield) - Tudor half-timber house with tilting ground. Home of Mary Fitton, Maid of Honour to Elizabeth I (supposed "Dark  Lady" of Shakespeare's sonnets). 

LITTLE MORETON HALL (Congleton) - Regarded as the finest surviving timber-framed moated manor house in England.
 
 

CORNWALL

GODOLPHIN HOUSE (Godolphin Cross, Helston) - Dates from the Tudor and Stuart period. 

MOUNT EDGCUMBE HOUSE AND COUNTRY PARK (Cremyll, Torpoint) - Dates from the Tudor period. Has one of the greatest gardens in Cornwall. 

ST. MAWES CASTLE (St. Mawes, Falmouth) Fort built during the reign of Henry VIII. Pendennis Castle only a ferry ride away. 

PENDENNIS CASTLE (Falmouth) - Dates back to the early 16th century. 

TRELOWARREN HOUSE & CHAPEL (Mawgan-in Meneage, Helston) - Home of the Vyvan family since 1427. 
 
 

CUMBRIA

APPLEBY CASTLE (Appleby-In-Westmorland) - Major strong hold of the Clifford family in the late medieval period. Home of Lady Anne Clifford. 

DALEMAIN (Nr Penrith) - House dates from the medieval period. 

LEVENS HALL (Kendal) -  Elizabethan house. 

MUNCASTER CASTLE (Ravenglass) - Home of the Pennington family since 1208. 

SIZERGH CASTLE & GARDEN (Kendal) - Dates from the 14th century. 

NAWORTH CASTLE (Brampton) - Dates back to 1335. One of Cumbria's most celebrated historic buildings. 
 
 

DERBYSHIRE

CARNFIELD HOUSE (St. Normanton, Alfreton) - Elizabethan mansion house. 

HARDWICK OLD HALL (Doe Lea, Nr Chesterfield) - Ruined house of Bess of Hardwick. 

HADDON HALL (Bakewell) - History spans the last millennium. Contains medieval and Tudor additions. A popular venue for film makers and was used in the film "Elizabeth" (1998) and "The Prince and the Pauper" series (1996).
 
 

DEVON

BICKLEIGH CASTLE (Bickleigh, Nr Tiverton) - Over 900 years old and still occupied.  Contains Tudor furniture and an Elizabethan bedroom. 

CADHAY (Ottery St Mary) - c1550. 

 FURSDON (Cadbury, Thorverton, Exeter) - Fursdon family have lived here for over 700 years. 

POWDERHAM CASTLE (Exeter) - Medieval castle built by Sir Philip Courtenay (1390). Still lived in by his descendants). 

SAND (Sand, Sidbury, Sidmouth) - Owned by the Huysche family since 1560. 

TIVERTON CASTLE (Tiverton) - Originally built 1106. rebuilt 1293 and modified over successive generations. 

TORRE ABBEY (The King's Drive, Torquay) - Founded as a monastery in 1196 but later became a family home. 

UGBROOKE PARK (Chudleigh) - Built c1200. 

YARDE (Yarde Farm, Malborough) - Elizabethan farmstead and Bakehouse. 
 
 

DORSET

ATHELHAMPTON HOUSE & GARDENS (Athelhampton) - One of the finest 16th century manor houses. 

CHRISTCHURCH PRIORY (Quay Road, Christchurch) - Medieval Monastic house bult c1094. Now a museum. 

FORDE ABBEY (Forde Abbey, Chard, Somerset) - Once a Cistercian monastery, now a family home. 

EDMONDSHAM HOUSE & GARDENS (Edmondsham, Wimborne) - A family home since the Tudor period. 

PARNHAM HOUSE (Parnham, Beaminster) - Tudor mansion built c1540 and enlarged by John Nash in 1810. 

PURSE CAUNDLE MANOR (Purse Candle, Nr SHerborne) - Tudor Manor House. 

SANDFORD ORCAS MANOR HOUSE (Sandford Orcas, Sherborne) - Tudor Manor House. Has a collection of 14-17th century stained glass and Elizabethan needlework. 

SHERBORNE CASTLE (Sherborne) - Built by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1594. 

WOLFETON HOUSE (Dorchester) - Elizabethan Manor House. 
 
 

COUNTY DURHAM

DURHAM CASTLE (Durham) - Founded 1070s.  Since 1832 it has been the foundation college of the Universty of Durham. 

AUCKLAND  CASTLE (Bishop Auckland) - Principal residence of the Bishops of Durham since Norman times. 

RABY CASTLE (Staindrop, Darlinton) - Built ing the 14th century with later modifications. 
 
 

ESSEX

HEDINGHAM CASTLE (Nr Halstead) - Norman keep built 1140. Was visited by Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. 

LAYER MARNEY TOWER (Nr Colchester) - Tallest Tudor gatehouse in the country. 

PAYCOCKE'S (West Street, Coggeshall, Colchester) - A merchant's house dating from c1500. 
 
 

GLOUCESTERSHIRE

CHAVENAGE (Tetbury) - Elizabethan House built c1576. 

BERKELEY CASTLE (Berkeley) - Oldest inhabited castle, completed in 1153. It has been the home of the Berkeley family for over 800 years. 

LITTLEDEAN HALL (Littledean, The Royal Forest of Dean) - Oldest inhabited house in England. It has Saxon and celtic remains and the cellar predates the 11th century. 

OWLPEN MANOR (Owlpen, Nr Uley) - Tudor manor house. 

SUDELEY CASTLE (Winchombe) - One of England's greatest historic houses with royal associations spanning the last millennium. Belonged to Katherine Parr (6th wife of Henry VIII). Henry VIII and Elizabeth I have stayed here. 
 
 

HAMPSHIRE

BREAMORE HOUSE (Nr Fordinbridge) - Elizabethan Manor House c1583. 

BEAULIEU (Beaulieu, Brockenshurst) - Dates back over 800 years. SInce 1538 has been the hoome of the Montagu family. 

MOTTISFONT ABBEY (Mottisfont, Nr Romsey) - dates back to the 12th century. It was once a priory but following the Dissolution became a private residence. 

THE VYNE (Basingstoke) - It was built in the early 16th century. Elizabeth I visited this house on at least one occasion. 

WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL - Founded 1079. 
 
 

HEREFORD & WORCESTER

HARTLEBURY CASTLE (Nr Kidderminster) - Homeof the Bishops of Worcester for over 1000 years. 

HARVINGTON HALL (Harvington, Kidderminster) - Moated medieval and Elizabethan manor house. 

HELLENS (Much Marcle, Lerbury) - First a monastery, then a fortress. Has 16th and 17th century additions. 

KINNERSLEY CASTLE (Kinnerseley) - Remodelled by Roger Vaughan in the 1580's. 
 
 

HERTFORDSHIRE

CATHEDRAL AND ABBEY CHURCH OF SAINT ALBAN (St Alban) - Built 1077 using Roman brick. Became the parish church of St Albans in 1539 and a cathedral in 1877. 
 
 

ISLE OF WIGHT




CARISBROOKE CASTLE (Newport) - Medieval Royal fortress. 

NUNWELL HOUSE (Brading) - A family home for 5 centuries. 
 
 

KENT

BLACK CHARLES (Underriver, Nr Sevenoaks) - 15th century home of John de Blakecherl. 

DOVER CASTLE  (Dover) 

HEVER CASTLE (Nr Edenbridge) - 13th century moated castle. Childhood home of Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth I's mother. 

HALL PLACE (Bourne Road, Bexley) - Built in 1540 with 17th century additions). 

LEEDS CASTLE (Maidstone) - Medieval castle and royal palace. It is bult on twoislands and is surrounded by a lake. Very picturesque. 

PATTYNDENNE MANOR (Goudhurst) - Over 800 years old. Associations with Henry VIII. It has a banqueting hall and a 13th century prison. 

PENSHURST PLACE (Penshurst) - Hone of the Sidney family since 1552. Elizabeth I visited this house. 

TONBRIDGE CASTLE (Tonbridge) - Norman Motte and Bailey Castle set in landscaped gardens and overlooking the River Medway. 

WALMER CASTLE & GARDENS (Kingsdam Road, Walmer, Deal) - Built by Henry VIII to defend the south coast against invasion. Now a stately home. 
 
 

LANCASHIRE

BROWSHOLME HALL (Nr Clitheroe) - Built in 1507 and has an Elizabethan facade. 

RUFFORD OLD HALL (Rufford, Nr Ormskirk) - One of the county's finest Tudor buildings. 

STONYHURST COLLEGE (Stony hurst, Clitheroe) - Dates fromt he late 16th century. Extensuve grounds and ornamental gardens. It's now a Catholic boarding school. 

TOWNELEY HALL ART GALLERY AND MUSEUMS (Burnley) - Dates from the 14th century.  Now an Art Gallery and museum. 
 
 

LEICESTERSHIRE

THE MANOR HOUSE (Donington-Le-Heath) - Medieval manor with Tudor/Stuart additions.

BOSWORTH FIELD - Where Henry VII defeated Richard III to become King of England and found the Tudor dynasty.
 
 


LINCOLNSHIRE

AUBOURN HALL (Aubourn, Nr Lincoln) - Late 16th century house.

BURGHLEY HOUSE (Stamford) - Homeof William Cecil, Lord Burghley. It's the finest example of Elizabethan architecture in England.

DIDDINGTON HALL (Doddington, Lincoln) - Fine Elizabethan Mansion durrounded by walled gardens, courtyards, and entered through a Tudor Gate House. Present family has lived in it for 400 years. 

GAINSBOROUGH OLD HALL (Parnell Street, Gainsborough) - Large medieval house with a Great Hall and suite of rooms. 

GRIMSTHORPE CASTLE (Grimsthorpe, Bourne, Lincolnshire)  - Home of the Willoughby de Eresby family since 1516. 

LINCOLN CASTLE (Lincoln) - Built by William the Conqueror. 

MARSTON HALL (Grantham) - Tudor manor house. 
 
 

GREATER MANCHESTER

HALL'TH'WOOD (Greenway, Off Crompton Way, Bolton) - Dates from the 15th century. The hall dates from 1483 and an extension was added in 1591. Last addition was made in 1648.

SMITHILLS HALL (Off Smithills Dean Road, Bolton) - One of the oldest manor houses in the area.
 
 

NORFOLK

MANNINGTON HALL (Saxthorpe) - 15th century moated house and saxon church ruins.

NORWICH CASTLE MUSEUM (Norwich) -Once a royal castle, it's now a museum. Over 900 years old.
 
 

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

BOUGHTON HOUSE (Kettering) - Home of the Montagu family and their descendents since 1528. Originally a monastic building. 

CASTLE ASHBY  - Present house dates from the Elizabethan period. Built on the site of a 13th century castle. Originally built in the shape of an "E" to honour Elizabeth I, but was altered in the 17th century. 

DEENE PARK (Corby) - Medieval Manor that has been developed over six centuries. 

HOLDENBY HOUSE (Holdenby) - Built by Sir Christopher Hatton in order to entertain the Queen. Charles I was later prisoned here. 

SOUTHWICK HALL (Southwick, Peterborough) - Family home since 1300. It has Tudor additions. 

THE PREBENDAL MANOR HOUSE (Nassington, Nr Peterborough) - Oldest manor house in Northamptonshire. 
 
 

NORTHUMBERLAND

ALNWICK CASTLE (Alnwick) - The Percy family have lived here since 1309.

CHILLINGHAM CASTLE (Chillingham, Nr Alnwick) - Medieval fortress. Has been the home of the Earls Grey since the 13th century.
 
 

OXFORDSHIRE

BROUGHTON CASTLE (Banbury) - It dates back to the early 14th century and was enlarged in the mid 16th century. The same family have lived here for 600 years. 

BLENHEIM CASTLE (Woodstock) - While the present house dates from the 18th century, it is built on the grounds of Woodstock Manor where Elizabeth I was kept a prisoner in the troubled years before her accession to the throne. 

MAPLEDURHAM HOUSE & WATERMILL (Nr Reading, Oxfordshire) - Late Elizabethan house, home of the Blount family. 

STONOR PARK (Nr Henley-on-Thames) - It has been a  home to  the Stonor family for over 800 years. It was also a centre of Catholicism in the Elizabethan period. Edmund Campion stayed here in 1581. 

STANTON HARCOURT MANOR (Stanton Harcourt) - Medieval building. 
 
 

SHROPSHIRE

LUDLOW CASTLE - Originally a Norman castle and then a fortified Royal Palace. It was the headquarters of the Council of the Marches. 

SHIPTON HALL (Much Wenlock) - Elizabethan stone manor house with Georgian additions. 

STOKESAY CASTLE (Craven Arms, Salop) - Originally a fortified manor house and dates back top the 13th century. 
 
 

SOMERSET

THE BISHOP'S PALACE (Wells) - A fortified and moated medieval palace that dates from the 13th century. It has a 15th century additions and is now the home of the Bishop of Bath and Wells. 

COMBE SYDENHAM COUNTRY PARK (Monksilver, Taunton) - Built in 1580 and was the home of Elizabeth Sydenham, wife of Sir Francis Drake. 

FAIRFIELD (Stogursey, Bridgwater) - Elizabethan house with medieval origins. 

MAUNSEL HOUSE (North Newton, Nr Bridgewater) - Dates from 11th century. 

ORCHARD WYNDHAM (Williton) -  Manor house and family home for 700 years. 
 
 

STAFFORDSHIRE

ANCIENT HIGH HOUSE (Greengate, Stafford) - The largest timber-frame townhouse in England. It was built in 1595 by the Dorrington family and was visited by Charles I in the 17th century. 

STAFFORD CASTLE - A Norman motte and bailey. 

TAMWORTH CASTLE (Tamworth) - Dates from the 12th century. 
 
 

SUFFOLK

CHRISTCHURCH MANSION (Ipswich) - Tudor house set in parkland. 

HENGRAVE HALL CENTRE (Bury St Edmunds) - Tudor mansion of stone and brick built in the early 16th century. It was once visited by Elizabeth I when she was on progress. 

KENTWELL (Long Melford) - Tudor mansion surounded by a moat. Every summer a receration of the Tudor period is created by volunteers. 

OTLEY HALL (Otley, Nr Ipswich) - Medieval moated building. 
 
 

SURREY

FARNHAM CASTLE (Farnham Castle) - Dates back to the Norman period, with Tudor and Jacobean additions) 

LOSELEY PARK (Guildford) - Built in the late Elizabethan period by Sir William More. 

WHITEHALL (Cheam) - A Tudor timber-framed house. Contains displays on Nonsuch Palace) 
 
 

SUSSEX

ANNE OF CLEVES HOUSE (Lewes) - Reputedly belonged to Anne of Cleves 

ARUNDEL CASTLE (Arundel) - Almost a 1000 years old. It has long been the seat of the Dukes of Norfolk. 

FIRLE PALACE (Nr Lewes) - Homeof the Gage family for over 500 years. 

GLYNDE PLACE (Lewes) - Dates from the 12th century and has fine examples of Elizabethan architecture. 

GREAT DIXTER HOUSE (nr Rye) - One of the largest surving timber-framed medieval houses. 

LEWES CASTLE (Lewes) - Norman castle. 

THE PRIEST HOUSE (West Hoathly) - Originally a 15th century timber-framed house, but was modernised in the Tudor period and subsequent centuries. 

MICHELHAM PRIORY (Hailsham) - Tudor mansion that was once an Augustinian Priory. 

PARHAM HOUSE (Nr Pulborough) -  A beautiful Elizabethan mansion with a nearby medieval church. Visited by Elizabeth I in the 1590's. 

PASHLEY MANOR GARDENS (Ticehurst) - Tudor house within a park. 

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, KEW AT WAKEHURST PLACE (Ardingly, Nr Haywards) - Beautiful gardens set around a splendind Elizabethan mansion. 

ST MARY'S HOUSE AND GARDENS (Bamber) - A house founded in 1470 by the Bishop of Winchester. 

THE WEALD &DOWNLAND OPEN AIR MUSEUM (Nr Chichester) - Museum of the history of architecture and involved in the preservation of historic buildings. 
 
 

WARWICKSHIRE

ARBURY HALL (Nuneaton) - A late Elizabethan house that was Gothicised in the 18th century.

CHARLECOTE PARK (Warwick) - It has been the home of the Lucy family since 1247. 

COUGHTON COURT (Alcester) - It has been the home of the Throckmorton family since the 15th century. 

LORD LEYCESTER HOSPITAL (Warwick ) - A hospital founded by Robert Dudley in  1571. 

WARWICK CASTLE (Warwick) - Is said to be the finest medieval castle in England. 

STRATFORD-UPON-AVON - Many houses relating to the Tudor period and the life of Shakespeare. 
 
 

WEST MIDLANDS

BLAKESLEY HALL (Yardley, Birmingham) - A timber framed house. It was built in 1590 by Richard Smallbroke. 
 
 

WILTSHIRE

LONGLEAT (Warminster) - It was built by Sir John Thynne in 1580 and has remained in the family since. 

SALISBURY CATHEDRAL - One of the most celebrated cathedrals in  England. 

WILTON HOUSE (Wilton) - It was once a monastery but became a private residence in the Tudor period. Visited by Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. 
 
 

YORKSHIRE

BOLTON ABBEY (Skipton) - It was once an Augustinian Priory and dates from the 12th century. 

BOLTON CASTLE (Leyburn) - Dates from the late 14th century. Mary, Queen of Scots was once a prisoner here for six months. Featured in the movie "Elizabeth" (1998). 

BROUGHTON HALL (Skipton) - It was bult in 1597 and has been a home to the same family since. 

BURTON AGNES HALL (Diffield) - Built in the late Elizbethan period and has been a home to the same family since. 

MARKENFIELD HALL (Ripon) - A manor house that dates from the 14th century. 

NEWBURGH PRIORY (Coxwold) - Dates back to the 12th century and altered in the 16th and 18th centuries. It has been a home to the same family since 1538. 

OAKWELL HALL (Birstall, Nr Batley) - Elizabethan house built in 1583. Used as a setting by Charlotte Bronte in her novel "Fieldhead". 

RIEVAULX ABBEY (Helmsley) - Remains of the first Cistercian monastery in Northern England. 

RIPLEY CASTLE (Harrowgate) - It has been a home to the Ingilby family for 700 years. 

SHIBDEN HALL (Halifax) - Dates back to the 14th century.

SCARBOROUGH CASTLE - Dates back to the 12th century. 

SKIPTON CASTLE - Dates back to the 11th century. 

WHITBY ABBEY (Whitby) - Remains of a Benedictine church. Was once the burial site of kings. 

TEMPLE NEWSHAM HOUSE (Leeds) - The birth place of Henry, Lord Darnley, husband of Mary, Queen of Scots and father of James I.
 

 SCOTLAND / WALES
 

PLACES TO VISIT
 
 


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