GEORGIAN PLACES TO VISIT
1. A la Ronde Devon
This remarkable 16-sided Georgian property was built for cousins, Jane and Mary Parminter. Like others living on the coast, the cousins feared a French invasion, so they had hidden escape routes built into their house. £9.50. Open daily until 28 Oct. Exmouth, EX8 5BD. 01395 265514, nationaltrust.org.uk
2. The Lakes District Cumbria
The inspiration for William and Dorothy Wordsworth. Visit their childhood home in Cockermouth or go to Glencoyne Bay and see the flowers said to have inspired William’s poem Daffodils. £7.90. Open daily (except Friday) until 28 October. Cockermouth, CA13 9RX. 01900 824805, nationaltrust.org.uk
3. Studley Royal Water garden North Yorkshire
After losing his job as Chancellor of the Exchequer, John Aislabie created this formal garden from a wild valley and later purchased the neighbouring ruin of Fountains Abbey. £15. Open daily. Ripon, HG4 3DY. 017656 08888, nationaltrust.org.uk
4. Trelissick Manor Cornwall
Aspects of Georgian innovation and industry are dotted all over Cornwall. Trelissick Manor, built in the late 18th century by the Daniell family who made their fortune from mines, overlooks the coastal landscape where it meets the sea. £11.60. Open daily. Truro, TR3 6QL. 01872 862090, nationaltrust.org.uk
5. Chatsworth Derbyshire
Set in the majestic Peak District with the family name emblazoned in gold letters across its top is Chatsworth, one of the grandest surviving houses of the Georgian era and still home to the Dukes of Devonshire. £23. Open daily. Bakewell, DE45 1PP. 01246 565 300, chatsworth.org
6. Cragg Vale West Yorkshire
This area was notorious in the 1770s as being home to a large network of coiners and counterfeiters who plied their trade in hilltop cottages. The Hepstonstall Museum displays artefacts and information about the coiners. Free. Open daily until 31 Oct. Heptonstall, HX7 7PL. 01422 843738, museums.calderdale.gov.uk
7. Coleridge Cottage Somerset
The home of Samuel Taylor Coleridge from 1797. It’s said that his famous poem Rime of the Ancient Mariner was inspired by the nearby Watchet harbour, while Frost at Midnight was written on a cold night in the cottage. £6.60. Open daily until 4 Nov. Nether Stowey, TA5 1NQ. 01278 732662, nationaltrust.org.uk
8. Bath Somerset
The archetypal Georgian town has the famous Assembly Rooms and surviving Georgian theatre, which evoke the essence of Georgian sociability. No 1 Royal Crescent is a house refurbished in the style of the period from 1776 to 1796. £10.30. Open daily. Bath, BA1 2LR. 01225 428126, no1royalcrescent.org.uk
9. Paxton House Berwickshire
Architect Robert Adam was at the forefront of the classical revival in England and Scotland from 1760 and built this elegant mansion. Much of the beautiful furniture inside was made for the house by master craftsman Thomas Chippendale. £5. Open daily until 4 Nov. Berwick-upon-Tweed, TD15 1SZ. 01289 386291, paxtonhouse.co.uk