Holdenby House, Northamptonshire

Once the largest private house in Elizabethan England and subsequently the palace of James I and prison of Charles I, Holdenby House is one of only eight privately owned homes in Britain to be featured the TV series “An American Aristocrat’s Guide to Great Estates”. Sitting on a hill overlooking 2,000 acres of rolling countryside, its suite of elegant state rooms combine grandeur and intimacy and open out onto beautiful Grade I listed gardens, with borders designed by Rosemary Verey & Rupert Golby. The visit incorporates King Charles’ favourite walk during his five-month imprisonment and the place where he was taken away by Cromwell’s forces to his eventual trial and execution. 

There is a one-hour guided tour of the ground floor, then visitors are free to explore the Grade I-listed gardens.

Tickets £29 including tea/coffee and cake on arrival.