But don’t forget your debit card – it’s cashless here. Sure thing, since 1952, thanks to the Howards. Christopher Hitchens wrote that it was too “ostentatiously massive”. Not everyone has been happy with the choice of Castle Howard as the stand-in for Brideshead, however (which was actually thought to be inspired by Madresfield Court in Worcestershire). The gardens – and Sebastian and Charles’s carefree enjoyment of them – are equally as famous. The final addition to the house was the long gallery in 1811, which Chips Channon described as “reminiscent of the Vatican”. Construction began in 1701 by the earl’s friend and fellow Kit-Kat Club member, John Vanbrugh (who also designed Oxfordshire’s Blenhem Palace). Its most notable elements are its giant symmetrical wings and a crowning central dome. Photograph: Nicola DoveĬastle Howard is a spectacular baroque home which was commissioned by the third Earl of Carlisle. Chatsworth House (Pride and Prejudice)Ĭastle Howard in Brideshead. There’s also a secondhand bookshop, cafe and plenty of activities for kids. Kenwood is still home to its artistic masterpieces, and that beautiful library was restored a decade ago. Having previously lived a 10-minute walk away, I can state with certainty that you can. In particular, the library, with its ornate pink and blue ceiling featuring paintings by Antonio Zucchi, has to be one of the most beautiful in the UK. The majority of the house itself was designed in 1764 by the Scottish artist Robert Adam in his signature neoclassical style. Visitors can see works by Rembrandt, Turner, Gainsborough and Vermeer. Photograph: YouTubeĪnd next time you’re having a pint, please raise your glass to brewing magnate Edward Cecil Guinness, for it was he who saved Kenwood from the threat of developers in 1925 and restored the house to its former glory and, in what’s known as the Iveagh bequest, donated one of the most impressive art collections to the home – and the nation. Syon House – which reopens in March 2024 – can be visited and offers discounts to local residents, and kids under 16 go free. Wrotham isn’t open to the public, but you can book it for weddings, parties and corporate events – if you don’t get executed beforehand. Can I visit? Well, you can and you can’t. Syon House, meanwhile, is the Grade-I listed neoclassical residence of the Duke of Northumberland (currently a dude called Ralph Percy). Unfortunately, Admiral John Byng didn’t get to enjoy his new house because he was executed for messing up during the Seven Years War, an incident satirised by Voltaire in Candide. Designed in 1754 for the Byng family (who still own it), with its 2,500 acres and 18 bedrooms, it is one of the largest privately owned homes inside the M25 (and is where Ashley Cole and then-wife Cheryl had their marriage blessed). Wrotham (pronounced roo-tem) Park in Hertfordshire is in the neo-Palladian style. Additional filming took place at Hall Barn in Buckinghamshire (and Shepperton Studios). The critically acclaimed whodunnit with the seemingly endless ensemble cast was shot at Wrotham for exterior and ground floor scenes, with the upstairs of Syon House used for things like Ryan Philippe unbuttoning Kristin Scott Thomas’s dress. Gosford Park? More like Wrotham Park, which is where Robert Altman and perennial country house botherer Julian Fellowes’ black comedy-mystery was filmed. Of course! There is a festive event in late December, and then the house reopens for guided tours from April next year, often conducted by its current owner and featuring artefacts from the film. You’ll no doubt remember Knightley’s Cecilia cooling off in the beautiful lily-adorned lake in the gardens, and then there’s the fountain scene giving La Dolce Vita a run for its money. Stokesay fell into disrepair through much of the latter half of the 20th century thanks to its reclusive and eccentric then-residents, but in 1994 its entire contents were auctioned by Sothebys and it underwent significant repairs. Built for the Allcroft family in 1889 by the architect Thomas Harris, the house, like many of its kind, hosted convalescing soldiers after the first world war. The library in question belongs to Stokesay Court in Shropshire, which Wright first spotted in an issue of Country Life magazine.
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