Check out the stately secrets
DISCOVER some of the country’s best-keep secrets with a visit to these hidden historic homes. KATIE ROWE unlocks some of their mysteries…
RABY CASTLE, DURHAM DALES
BUILT in the 14th Century by the Nevill family – once one of the most powerful in the North – this epic medieval edifice in the Durham Dales allows you to take a journey through various ages of England. Medieval, Victorian, Georgian and Regency interiors and architecture styles all fight for your attention. But with a little help from one of the knowledgeable guides, you’ll soon get to grips with Raby’s 600-year history as you tour the grand halls and chambers. Outdoors, spot red and fallow deer in the 200-acre deer park and soak up floral scents in the 18th Century ornamental walled gardens.
KNIGHTSHAYES COURT, DEVON
STEP inside a Gothic mansion full of enchanting oddities tucked away in the East Devon countryside. Knightshayes Court is an excellent example of the Victorian fascination with replicating styles from the past. There’s a mock-medieval great hall, eerie gargoyles that greet you on your way in, a tiled bedroom with a highly decorative wooden bed, and intriguing carvings everywhere you look. Once you’ve seen all the contrasting and somewhat wacky rooms inside, head to the walled garden and learn a few top tips from the resident gardeners.
SOMERLEYTON HALL, SUFFOLK
DON’T miss your chance to get lost in the sumptuous surroundings of Somerleyton, open until September 29. Widely regarded as one of England’s best examples of a Tudor-Jacobean mansion and set in a 5,000-acre estate, it gives Chatsworth and Castle Howard a run for their money. Take a guided tour of the hall itself and you’ll come across a stained-glass ceiling in the entrance hall, grand oak staircases and a sculptured marble ballroom. The show continues outside with glinting ornate glasshouses designed by Sir Joseph Paxton, architect of Crystal Palace, a perfectly sculpted yew hedge maze dating from 1846, and a 70ft-long pergola draped with wisteria, roses, clematis and vines.
BURTON AGNES HALL, EAST YORKSHIRE
DISCOVER an elegant Elizabethan stately home, built in 1598 by Sir Henry Griffith and surrounded by vast, sprawling gardens and woodlands. Step inside to admire both a magnificent example of Elizabethan architecture – original carving and plasterwork still decorate many rooms – and a treasure trove of antiques and artworks collected and commissioned by the family over four centuries. Don’t miss the Elizabethan walled garden, blooming with more than 4,000 different plants, including a national collection of campanulas. There are also herbaceous borders, giant board games, a maze and a jungle garden.
STOKESAY CASTLE, SHROPSHIRE
THE term ‘chocolate box’ springs to mind when you first catch a glimpse of Stokesay Castle in South Shropshire. Although it isn’t technically a castle, it has a 13th Century timber-framed gatehouse (look out for the medieval characters carved into the wood), a fairytale tower that looks over the Shropshire Hills, and a great hall that has remained unchanged for more than 700 years, making it one of England’s best-preserved fortified medieval manor houses. Take a free audio tour and imagine Stokesay in all its glory.