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 | Yorkshire Times A Voice of the Free Press |
12:00 AM 28th August 2024
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10 UK Heritage Properties With Unusual Histories To Visit This Summer
British holidaymakers are obsessed with heritage properties. A record-breaking 550,000+ families visited English Heritage sites in 2023, the highest amount since recordings started. This is an increase of 54% in a decade and figures show no sign of slowing.
Heritage is one of the UK’s most-loved characteristics, with 1,450 independent houses, gardens and an almost endless list of protected pubs and venues. While the summer holidays may seem endless at times, there still isn’t enough time to visit them all.
Not to worry, we’ve spoken to the heritage property experts at The Heritage Window Company for their list of UK heritage properties with unusual histories to visit this summer – perfect for entertaining the whole family.
Photo: Woodchester Mansion – https://www.woodchestermansion.org.uk/
We love a home with character, and Woodchester House is certainly the underdog of the heritage home world. An unfinished Victorian Gothic mansion in the heart of Gloucestershire, this beautiful home is open every weekend until November 3rd.
The mansion hides a dark secret, however… a Hamlet-esque ghost story!
The home was originally purchased in 1845 by William Leigh, along with 400 acres of land, from Lord Ducie. What William didn’t know is that Lord Dulcie decided to sell up due to bizarre circumstances. Lord Ducie inherited the property from his father and was immediately most concerned with throwing a huge party to celebrate his inheritance. When Lord Ducie took his seat at the party, he found his deceased father sitting in his seat.
Lord Ducie was so terrified that he fled the home and never returned.
Great Chalvedon Hall
Photo: Clive Nason
A quirky Grade II-listed pub in Basildon, Great Chalvedon Hall dates back to the 16th century. It’s beautifully old-fashioned, but its true intrigue comes from a hidden compartment discovered by the owners.
When venturing into the attic, the owners found a panel disguising a hideaway, known to historians as a “priest hole”. This priest hole was used by Catholic priests who were being prosecuted by Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I in the 16th century and were often found with adjoining escape tunnels.
The escape tunnel at Great Chalvedon Hall unfortunately collapsed, but it is believed that it led out onto the nearby marshland. The hole and panel have been preserved and the stories delight locals to this day.
Photo: Black Bull Pub, https://www.otleypubclub.co.uk/otley-pubs-present/the-black-bull
The Black Bull Pub in Otley is steeped in buckets of incredible British history. The 1600s Yorkshire pub was the drinking hole of Oliver Cromwell’s men before the bloodiest battle of the English Civil War – the Battle of Marston Moor (1644).
The men allegedly drank the whole pub dry, celebrating what could’ve been their last night on Earth, and drinking for a (un)healthy dose of Dutch courage.
The pub has found many artefacts of British history through countless renovations, including an ancient wooden door, a 16th and 17th-century stone fireplace and an 18th-century stone pump.
Hindringham Hall – Historic Houses, https://www.historichouses.org/house/hindringham-hall/visit/
This 14th-century moated manor house, made of flint and red brick dressings with stunning red pantile roofs, is a sight that has to be seen to be believed.
Taking lavish luxury to a new level, the surrounding greenery, moat and stone bridge is like something from a fairy tale – but how was such a beautiful home afforded by a 14th-century courtier? The answer is simple – you must win the monarchy’s favour.
This is exactly what an unnamed courtier did, getting in the good books of Henry Fitzroy – Henry VIII’s illegitimate son. After construction in c.1553, the house fell into disrepair before being restored in 1900 by Gerald Gosselin from Bengeo Hall in Herts.
Access to the house and grounds is free all summer on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 2pm–5pm and 10am–1pm respectively.
Houghton Hall & Gardens, Historic Houses, https://www.historichouses.org/house/houghton-hall-gardens/visit/
Arguably the grandest survivor of the Palladian era, this stunning country home with lush gardens was built in the 1720s for Britain’s first Prime Minister – Sir Robert Walpole.
Made by architects James Gibbs and Colen Campbell, with ornamented interiors by William Kent, this home is the physical embodiment of Walpole’s immense political power and significance.
What makes this home unusual is that its origin is the only one of its kind – a home made to mark the reign of a prime minister. This is something you’d expect more of a monarch, but perhaps given Walpole was the first PM, old habits must die hard.
The house and grounds are partially free to access, but excitingly, visitors are being treated to a wonderful 100-sculpture display throughout summer 2024. Time Horizon by Sir Antony Gormley is a showcase of 100 life-size sculptures across the plane of the 300-acre parkland.
Ham House - @hamhousent, https://www.instagram.com/hamhousent/?hl=en
The second beautiful home of haunted heritage on this list, London’s Ham House is a stunning 17th-century red brick mansion said to be haunted by the spirit of Elizabeth Maitland, Duchess of Lauderdale.
Elizabeth was a fierce political and cultural figure, a Scottish peeress raised in English court circles in the lead-up to the English Civil War. She had an education rare for a woman of the time, was a patron of the arts and was even an associate of the Sealed Knot – a secret royalist organisation.
Ham House was Elizabeth’s family home, an imposing mansion surrounded by lush grounds, statues and expansive gardens. Elizabeth died poor, selling most of her belongings to survive, everything except her house, where she chose to be buried.
It is reported that her soul lingers on in these beautiful grounds, clinging on to her last and most-prized possession, her home. She has been spotted by staff in the Duchess’ bed chambers, her footsteps have been heard throughout the house and some of the staff speak to her directly, pausing in the doorway of the chambers to say “Good afternoon, your ladyship” before entering.
If you want to visit Elizabeth this summer, tickets are available for daily entry from midday to 4pm.
Wentworth House, https://wentworthwoodhouse.org.uk/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwqf20BhBwEiwAt7dtdXXW-KW5o286rWKY5bcJ_Pf-q7dJaBeRfp6xNyqUbZCD12HO1b6G7hoCyNMQAvD_BwE
Known locally as “The House”, Wentworth Woodhouse is the largest private home in the UK – standing at a breathtaking 250,000 square feet and 365 rooms. What’s more, the façade is the longest of any country home in Europe.
Behind its beautiful 15th-century architectural design and simply stunning gardens, the home holds the history of one of the North’s first political powerhouses – Thomas Wentworth, Lord President of the Council of the North.
Thomas lived in this lavish home until he was ultimately executed in 1633, after pledging his allegiance to the crown and Charles I. This mistake cost Thomas his life.
Wentworth Woodhouse was sold to Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust in 2017 for a modest £7m, promising consistent renovations for years to come. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am–5pm, the house is a treat to explore, and there are plenty of events running throughout the summer to entertain the whole family.
Eltham Place & Gardens – English Heritage, https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/eltham-palace-and-gardens/
White Ladies Priory and the neighbouring Boscobel House in Shropshire are two fascinating historical landmarks that hide a story of royal escape.
In 1651, the 12th-century church – a nunnery of ‘white ladies’ – became the hiding place of Charles II after he was defeated at the Battle of Worcester. Donning a cunning disguise, Charles II used White Ladies Priory to change into a woodsman’s clothing, covering his face in soot before retreating to Boscobel House.
All that’s left of the priory is its eerie ruins among Brewood Forest, a remote and wooded era. Luckily, these awesome ruins are a short walk from the equally famous Boscobel House – allowing visitors to follow in Charles II’s footsteps during his daring escape.
Boscobel House is a picturesque hunting lodge brimming with English history, complete with its original priest hole where Charles II spent a day and night. A short stroll through the grounds will bring you to an old oak tree, a descendant of the same tree that Charles II hid in while Cromwell’s soldiers searched for him below.
There’s an interactive costumed storytelling experience for children, a tearoom in the old stables and the original 17th-century garden, beautifully restored to its original splendour.
White Ladies Priory is open year-round and Boscobel House can be booked online for any day, all summer long.
Eltham Place & Gardens – English Heritage, https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/eltham-palace-and-gardens/
A stunning mix of medieval Tudor design and 1930s mansion, this beautiful home with equally beautiful grounds is home to arguably the most bizarre ghost story on this list.
First recorded in the Domesday book of 1086, this manor was recorded as belonging to Odo, Bishop of Bayeux – William the Conqueror’s half-brother. Many of the original features have been discovered and renovated over the years, including the original tiled flooring that was excavated in the 1970s.
By the 14th century, Eltham was one of the most-visited and largest royal residencies in the country – enjoyed by Edward III during his childhood in the 1300s, by Henry IV over 10 of his 13 Christmases as king and by Henry VIII during his early boyhood.
By 1656, Eltham was in almost complete ruin following the English Civil War. It remained in a state of disrepair for over two centuries, until Stephen Courtauld, from the wealthy Courtauld textile family, renovated it in 1933.
The spirit of an ex-staff member of the hall, who died a week after retiring, has said to be seen and heard giving a tour to visitors while the site was empty – earning Eltham a place on English Heritage’s list of most-haunted places.
Eltham Place and Gardens is open all summer, with tickets available to visit from 10am–5pm.
The Royal Standard of England, https://www.theoldestpub.com/
Believed to be the oldest pub in England, this 1086 pub was originally listed as The Ship Inn in the Domesday Book 1086.
A pub this old has a celebrated history and continues to make history to this day – such as being the filming location for the comedy-action cult classic Hot Fuzz (2007).
Originally built by the Saxons, the pub has survived Viking raids, the invasion of the West Saxons (where it gained the name “Se Scip”, or, “The Ship” to us), was used as a mustering place for Wentworth’s Royalists before the Battle of Wycombe Rye 1642, was frequented by highwaymen on the run, and is even the location of a haunting.
If you listen carefully in the car park, you may hear the sound of a drum beating. That beat is said to be the sounding of the alarm by a young drummer boy, killed by the Roundheads in 1643. There’s also a ghost who walks through the pub’s wall, said to be either a shadow of a young man, believed to be an executed cavalier or a traveller who was accidentally killed by the Earl of Barrymore in 1788.
“All these properties are stunning, there’s no doubt about it,” says Kevin Brown, Managing Director at The Heritage Window Company. “What makes the buildings even more stunning is the stories they tell. Many of these properties have survived wars, invasions and hardships – being passed down the generations to kings, noblemen, business people and now national trusts. We are grateful we can still visit them today and relive the fantastic stories these heritage properties represent.”
Will you be visiting any of these weird and wonderful homes this summer? If so, make sure you book your tickets soon and check out all the fantastic events on offer.