Historic Houses in Southern England

Ascott Estate Office, Wing, Leighton Buzzard, Buckinghamshire

Ascott House was originally a half timbered Jacobean farmhouse, bought in 1876 by the de Rothschild family and considerably transformed and enlarged to form a family home. It now houses... more

Athelhampton, Dorchester, Dorset

Athelhampton House is one of the country´s finest 15th century manor houses. The Great Hall was built by Sir William Martyn in 1485 and the west wing is Elizabethan in period and... more

Winchester, Hampshire

Avington Park is a Palladian mansion set in the rich meadow of the Itchen valley. The interiors, dating from the late 18th and 19th centuries were influenced by Continental taste.... more

Lower Basildon, Reading, Berkshire

Basildon Park, an 18th century Palladian mansion, set in 400 acres of parkland, was designed by Carr of York for Francis Sykes. The interior contains fine plasterwork, pictures and... more

Woodstock, Oxford, Oxfordshire

Blenheim Palace, home of the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough and birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, was built between 1705 and 1722. It is an English Baroque masterpiece, with a... more

Estate Office, Bowood House, Calne, Wiltshire

Bowood House, the family home of the Marquis and Marchioness of Lansdowne, was built during the 18th century, to the designs of Henry Keene and Robert Adam. The Chapel and famous... more

Breamore, Fordingbridge, Hampshire

Breamore House is set above the village of Breamore on the edge of the New Forest and was completed in 1583 by the Dodington family. It was purchased in the early 18th century by Sir... more

Banbury, Oxfordshire

Broughton Castle is a historic 14th and 16th century moated manor house owned by the Fiennes family for over 600 years, and still lived in by their descendants Lord and Lady Saye &... more

Estate Office, Faringdon, Oxfordshire

Buscot Park is an 18th century house, housing the Faringdon Collection of fine paintings, including works by Rembrandt, Murillo, Reynolds, Rossetti and the famous Briar Rose series by... more

Chastleton, Moreton-in-Marsh, Oxfordshire

Chastleton House is one of England´s finest and most complete Jacobean houses filled with a mixture of rare and everyday objects - furniture and textiles collected since its completion... more

Chenies, Buckinghamshire

Chenies Manor, a Grade I listed building, was formally known as Chenies Palace. This semi-fortified brick manor house was visited on numerous occasions by Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth... more

Middle Claydon, Buckingham, Buckinghamshire

The architecture of Claydon House includes extravagant rococo and chinoiserie decoration, with a unique Chinese Room and parquetry Grand Staircase that is so precious no one is allowed... more

Chard, Dorset

Forde Abbey is a Cistercian monastery, founded mid-12th century, and has been a private home since 1543. The buildings seen today almost all existed when the monks departed. The... more

The Wakes, Selborne, Alton, Hampshire

Gilbert White´s House contains, among many things, an exhibition about ´Gilbert White and his garden´, as well as an exhibition on Captain Lawrence Oates and his ill fated exhibition to... more

Rotherfield Greys, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire

Greys Court is a picturesque 14th century house that was much added to, with one surviving tower dating from 1347. It has been the home of the Brunner family since the 1930s and is... more

Hamptworth, Landford, Salisbury, Wiltshire

Hamptworth Lodge is a Grade II Jacobean style manor house, built by Harold Moffatt with the help of architect Guy Dawber, on the site of the original house. Most of the furniture and... more

Hatfield, Hertfordshire

Hatfield House - Visit this stunning Jacobean house within its own Park and see the surviving wing of the Tudor Royal Palace, where Elizabeth I spent much of her childhood. Home of the... more

Highclere, Newbury, Hampshire

Highclere Castle is the ancestral home of the Earls of Carnarvon. In the 1830s the 3rd Earl commissioned Sir Charles Barry to transform the original Georgian house into this soaring... more

Bramdean, Alresford, Hampshire

Hinton Ampner house was completely destroyed by fire in 1960, along with Ralph Dutton´s collections of fine English furniture and Italian paintings. Rather than abandon the ruin, he set... more

Valley Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

Hughenden Manor was the home of Victorian Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli from 1848 until his death in 1881. Most of his furniture, pictures and books remain here, his private retreat... more

Kingston Bagpuize, Abingdon, Oxfordshire

Kingston Bagpuize House is a beautiful 1660s manor house, remodelled in the early 1770s. The drawing room was once the entrance hall, which is now at the rear of the house. The... more

Wimborne Minster, Dorset

Kingston Lacy is a 17th century house that was the home of the Bankes family for over 300 years, and replaced the ruined family seat at Corfe Castle. The house contains an outstanding... more

Knebworth, Hertfordshire

Knebworth House has been home to the Lytton family since 1490, and now has a gothic look with its turrets, cupolas and griffins. The interior of the house has a variety of styles, from... more

Lacock, Chippenham, Wiltshire

Lacock Abbey was founded in 1232 and converted into a country house in the mid-16th century, the cloisters and monastic rooms of the Abbey have survived largely intact. On the closure... more

Warminster, Wiltshire

Nestling within 900 acres of Capability Brown landscaped grounds, Longleat, built by Sir John Thynne, is one of the best examples of Elizabethan architecture in Britain. On display are... more

Lydiard Park, Lydiard Tregoze, Swindon, Wiltshire

Lydiard House, was rescued from decay and is now a beautifully restored Georgian mansion, was the ancestral home of the Bolingbrokes. The main rooms have rich plasterwork ceilings with... more

Mapledurham, Reading, Berkshire

Historic home of the Blount family for over 500 years, Mapledurham House is a beautiful Elizabethan mansion. The house contains a fine collection of paintings, portraits, original... more

The Close, Salisbury, Wiltshire

Mompesson House, an elegant and spacious 18th century house in Cathedral Close, was built for Charles Mompesson in 1701. It has magnificent plasterwork, a fine oak staircase and good... more

Mottisfont, Romsey, Hampshire

Mottisfont Abbey is a 12th century Augustinian priory which was converted into a private house after the Dissolution of the Monasteries and still contains the spring or `font´ from... more

East Cowes, Isle of Wight

Osborne House was built for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a private home. It was designed by Prince Albert and built by Thomas Cubitt in Italianate style. Many of the rooms have... more

John Montagu Building, Beaulieu, Hampshire

Palace House, once the Great Gatehouse of Beaulieu Abbey, is the family home of Lord Montagu of Beaulieu. The house contains splendid rooms full of fine portraits, pictures, furniture,... more

Rye House Quay, Rye Road, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire

Rye House Gatehouse is all that remains of a fantastic fortified manor house constructed by Sir Andrew Ogard in 1443. It was one of the first brick built buildings in the country and... more

33 The Close, Salisbury, Wiltshire

Salisbury Cathedral: Be inspired by the peace and beauty of one of Britain´s finest medieval cathedrals, Salisbury offers a warm welcome to all who visit. Set within eight acres of lawn... more

Church Road, Shaw, Newbury, Berkshire

Shaw House was built in 1581 by Newbury clothier Thomas Dolman. This fine Elizabethan building has enjoyed a colourful past from a Duke’s country retreat to a school. It was recently... more

New Road, Sherborne, Dorset

Sherborne Castle is an historic country house, built by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1594 and extended by the Digby family whose stately home it has been since 1617. The rooms are a variety of... more

Rowlands Castle, Hampshire

Stansted Park is a beautiful Edwardian Country House in the forest. It is a great destination and a special event venue all year round. The state rooms are furnished as if the Earl was... more

Stonor, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire

Stonor Park has been the historic family home of the Stonor family, for over 850 years. The House and Chapel date from the 12th century with later additions. Inside there are rare... more

Stourton, Warminster, Wiltshire

Stourhead House is a Palladian mansion built in the 1720s, which was home to the Hoare family, who are the owners of Britain´s only surviving private bank. The entrance hall has a large... more

Sherborne St John, Basingstoke, Hampshire

The Vyne was built in the 16th century for Lord Sandys, Henry VIII´s Lord Chamberlain. The masterpiece of the building is the central staircase by John Chute, with its fluted columns,... more

Waddesdon, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire

Waddesdon Manor was built between 1874 and 1889, in the style of a 16th century French cháteau, for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild. There is a large display of French 18th century... more

West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

The house at West Wycombe Park is among the most theatrical and Italianate in England, its facades formed as classical temples. It is the home of the Hell-Fire Club and was created by... more

The Estate Office, Wilton, Salisbury, Wiltshire

Wilton House has been the ancestral home of the Earls of Pembroke for 450 years and was rebuilt, after a fire in 1647, by Inigo Jones and John Webb. There were further alterations by... more

Windsor, Berkshire

Windsor Castle, one of three official residences of The Queen, has been home to the Sovereign for over 900 years and not only is it the largest inhabited castle in the world but is the... more

Woburn, Bedfordshire

Woburn Abbey has been home to the Dukes of Bedford for almost 450 years. It houses one of the most important private art collections that includes work by Van Dyck, Gainsborough,... more