3 Palaces
And Manor Homes In England You Should Visit
It’s always
great to see how the “other half” live and England offers many glorious
manor houses and palaces, surrounded by beautifully landscaped gardens,
just waiting for you to explore.
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Photo:
Blenheim Palace by Nev1 / Wikimedia
/ CC BY 2.0
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Here
we have a look at some of the best options to visit in the U.K. and it’s
interesting to note that you can even apply to work in homes of this nature,
by visiting the website of Silver
Swan.
1. Blenheim
Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire
Blenheim
Palace is a UNESCO
World Heritage Site nestled in Woodstock, Oxfordshire. Its most recent
history tells that the palace was the ancestral home and birth place of
Sir Winston Churchill. However, it has an interesting history as being
the only non-Royal palace in the U.K. Of interest to note, the home was
once used as a hospital for wounded soldiers during World War 1.
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Photo:
Blenheim Palace via Wikimedia
by DeFacto / CC BY-SA 4.0
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Blenheim
Palace was originally intended to be given to John Churchill, the First
Duke of Marlborough, after his military triumphs during the War of the
Spanish Succession but became part of political infighting, leading to
the Duke’s exile.
The
building was designed in English Baroque style in the 1720s and the interior
is fascinating to explore. It is also surrounded by a beautifully manicured
2,100 acre park with water terraces.
2. Longleat
Stately Home and Safari Park
Longleat
is a stately home in Horningsham, Wiltshire, close to Westbury and Warminster.
Built in 1580, the stately home is nestled in 1,000 acres of parkland,
and was the first of its kind to be made available to the public. It was
also the first safari park to be opened outside of Africa.
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Photo
Longleat via Wikimedia
by Saffron Blaze/CC BY-SA 3.0
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The building is still home
to the 7th Marquess of Bath. Not only is it an Elizabethan prodigy house
and the seat of the Marquesses of Bath, it is also home to a maze, landscaped
gardens and pictured below is the safari park with its lions and warning
signs.
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Photo Longleat Maze
by Rurik/Wikimedia/CC0
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Photo Longleat Safari
Park by Andy Potter/Wikimedia/CC
BY-SA 2.0
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Besides
the lions, visitors can get acquainted with red-necked wallabies, pygmy
goats and warthogs, and there is a walk-through lemur enclosure to explore.
In the African village, Grant’s zebras, Blue wildebeest and Rothschild
giraffes also stand proudly. Throughout the park many other species are
also on view, making it a worthwhile visit.
3. Castle
Howard, North Yorkshire
While
it is not a true castle, this stately home is located 15 miles from York
in North Yorkshire. The building has been home to the Howard family for
over 300 years. Designed by Sir John Vanbrugh, construction on Castle Howard
started in 1699 and ended up taking more than 100 years to complete.
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Photo Castle Howard
by Pwojdacz/Wikimedia/
CC BY-SA 2.0
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These
days the stately home is more familiar as “Brideshead”, a fictional home
from two adaptations of “Brideshead
Revisited” by Evelyn Waugh – one was a 1981 TV adaptation, while the
second was a 2008 film. Castle Howard also starred in “The Buccaneers,”
a 1995 film and in Stanley Kubrick’s film “Barry Lyndon.” Interestingly,
it also starred as the Kremlin in the 1966 comedy movie “The Spy with a
Cold Nose.”
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Photo Anata No Warehouse
by Ken OHYAMA/Wikimedia/
CC BY-SA 2.0
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The
home is now one of the group of Treasure Houses of England. Of interest
to explore are the gardens on the property, including a formal garden behind
the house. There are two buildings set in the parklands, including the
Mausoleum and the Temple of the Four Winds.
We
hope you enjoyed this brief tour of some of the best manor houses and palaces
in the U.K. Take time out for a visit!
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