A splendid beginning for a truly great house

Discover how the UK’s country houses defied the odds to survive as historic monuments and cultural centres

There are many reasons to visit the magnificent 17th century West Sussex mansion Petworth House, supreme among them is its extraordinary collection of art. Petworth’s palatial state rooms offer a vast

Marble Hill, Richmond-upon-Thames, Greater London In the care of English Heritage

Described as a ‘living work of art’, Stourhead should be on everyone’s ‘to visit’ list. The iconic garden, created in the 1740s, features a lake, follies, and a Palladian mansion filled with treasures

Walled gardens are an everyday feature of large country estates, but the splendid example at Broughton Grange defies all expectation. Rather than being a tucked-away working area for growing flowers a

Cultural Crusader