10 Best Stately Homes in the UK

If you believe Chatsworth House looks like the setting for a period drama, you’d be right. Set against the towering hills of Derbyshire’s Peak District, northwest England, the imposing 16th-century estate was the setting for the 2005 film adaptation of 'Pride and Prejudice', starring Keira Knightley. The star returned to film the 2008 historical drama, 'The Duchess'.

Owned by the Dukes of Devonshire for close to 500 years (the Duke and Duchess still live in a private apartment within the building), Chatsworth is famed for its dramatically painted ceilings and vast collection of artworks. Items include Elizabethan needlework and paintings by Lucien Freud. There’s plenty to enthrall art and architecture buffs, but younger visitors might prefer to romp around the grand gardens, which include a playground and working farmyard.

Set in beautifully manicured gardens in Oxfordshire, Blenheim Palace is a mansion house and UNESCO World Heritage Site built for John Churchill, first Duke of Marlborough, in the 1700s. Direct descendent Sir Winston Churchill was born here in 1874, making it one of England’s most storied buildings in addition to being one of its largest.

Although Blenheim Palace remains home to the Dukes of Marlborough, you needn’t be part of British high society to pay a visit: The grand estate, with its baroque architecture and 2,000 acres of gardens, is open to the public. Alongside ornate tapestries and photo-worthy fountains, visitors should look out for the Whomping Willow made famous by the Harry Potter movies.

Despite its name, Castle Howard isn’t a fortified building. Rather, it’s a stately home in north Yorkshire that has belonged to the Howard family for more than 300 years. Fans of Netflix’s 'Bridgerton' will recognise it as Clyvedon Castle, home to the Duke of Hastings, while eagle-eyed film buffs might know it from movies such as 1981’s 'Brideshead Revisited' or 1961’s 'Lady M' starring Sophia Loren.

Construction of the building, located 15 miles (24 kilometres) from York, began in 1699 and took more than a century. The Howard family still lives here, but most of the house and its gardens are open to the public. Hidden trails and an adventure playground make Castle Howard a popular day-trip destination for families.

Popular with historians and art buffs as well as families looking for a fun day out, West Yorkshire’s Harewood House contains one of the UK’s most impressive Renaissance art collections. The house was built for Edwin Lascelles, 1st Baron of Harewood, and has been the Lascelles family home since it was completed in 1771.

The grand building and its ornate gardens draw picnicking families as well as art enthusiasts who come to admire the collection of Italian Renaissance works and family portraits by masters including Reynolds and Lawrence. Younger visitors can enjoy peeking into big dining rooms and visiting the working farm and lively bird garden.

There’s a fairytale feel to the Neo-Renaissance house and sculpture-filled gardens at Waddesdon Manor in leafy Buckinghamshire. Built in the late 1800s for British banker, politician, and art collector Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, the property is now managed jointly by the British National Trust and the Rothschild Foundation. It attracts a huge numbers of visitors with its flower-filled gardens and opulent interiors, which contain portraits by Gainsborough and Reynolds.

The gardens are a treat to explore, and visitors can step inside a 39-foot (12-metre) multi-tiered wedding cake sculpture created by Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos. The playful 2023 construction joins a Rococo-style gilded aviary and other family-friendly attractions in one of the National Trust’s most visited gardens.

Highclere Castle is famous as the setting for hit period drama 'Downton Abbey', but you needn’t be a fan of the show to enjoy this scene-stealing estate five miles (eight kilometres) from the Buckinghamshire town of Newbury.

It was built in 1679 for the Earls of Carnarvon, and is still home to the current Lord and Lady Carnarvon. The house served as a hospital for wounded soldiers during World War I and later housed children evacuated from London during World War II. Its family-friendly attractions include a permanent Egyptian exhibition – the fifth earl funded the expeditions of Howard Carter, who discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun – 300 opulent rooms, and extensive grounds that include a fragrant rose garden and ornate temples.

Completed in 1601 and sitting in the rural district of Somerset in southwest England, Montacute House is a popular tourist attraction famous for its dog-friendly gardens and its impressive Elizabethan Renaissance art and architecture.

Managed by the National Trust, the gardens themselves are worthy of several hours’ exploring. They contain one of very few remaining examples of 16th-century lawns, as well as viewpoints, towers, parklands, and a courtyard café. The house’s interior is packed with notable artworks, some of which are on loan from the British National Portrait Gallery, and many of which are on display in what is thought to be the longest 'long gallery' in Britain.

Completed in 1587 on behalf of William Cecil, Lord Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I, Burghley House is a pristine example of Italian-influenced Tudor architecture. The ornate estate in Stamford, Lincolnshire, is still home to Cecil’s descendants. Visitors can tour the opulent house and its enormous gardens, which were designed by Britain’s most celebrated landscape architect, Lancelot 'Capability' Brown.

Once reserved for members of British high society, the gardens today are a welcoming space for visitors of all stripes. The grounds include a deer park, orangery, and an adventure playground. This is a popular spot for picnics, and a café on site is a welcome pitstop should the British weather take a turn for the worse.

Holkham Hall is an enticing option for a day out in scenic Norfolk, England. You might come to admire the 18th-century architecture and the perfectly preserved period furnishings, or to enjoy cycle rides and playground visits in the gardens.

Architecture buffs will be in their element. Built in 1761 for the 1st Earl of Leicester, Holkham Hall is known as one of Britain’s best examples of Palladian architecture. The interior is impressive, but there’s plenty of outdoor fun to be had – visitors can explore the walled gardens and greenhouses, burn off energy in the adventure playground, or enjoy a hot drink in the pleasant coffee shop.

As refined and reserved as downtown Glasgow is vibrant and bustling, Pollok House is an elegant stately home on the outskirts of Scotland’s largest city. Built in 1752 and managed by the National Trust for Scotland, it’s one of the most beautiful manor homes in the country.

Sometimes referred to as 'Scotland’s Downton Abbey', the Georgian architecture, Spanish art collection, and priceless Edwardian furnishings make Pollok House a mandatory stop for arts and architecture enthusiasts visiting Glasgow. On sunny days, the setting inside Pollok Country Park makes Pollok House a great starting point for walks, bike rides and picnics in the scenic grounds.