Historic Houses in Southern England

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... 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... 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,... 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... more

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... 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... 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... 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... 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... 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... 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... 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... 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... 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... 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... 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... more

Romsey, Hampshire  
Broadlands is one of the finest examples of mid-Georgian architecture in England and stands in a spacious parkland that is typically British. The house has many... 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... more

Highclere, Newbury, Hampshire  
Highclere Castle was designed in the 1830s by Sir Charles Barry, who built the Houses of Parliament. In the drawing room are family portraits by Reynolds... 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... more