A Tour Around the Treasure Houses of England

Depart your home city and arrive the next day in London

Arrival (depart U.S. on 6/1) On arrival at Heathrow airport, a private transfer will take you to the Audleys Wood Hotel where we stay for two nights. In the evening you are invited to join the group for a welcome drink, followed by dinner.

Highclere Castle

After breakfast, we make our way to the world-famous Highclere Castle, home to the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon and the filming location for the much-loved Downton Abbey TV series and movies. There is plenty to explore, from the Drawing and Dining Rooms to the Egyptian Exhibition in the cellars of the castle, celebrating the 5th Earl of Carnarvon’s discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun tomb in 1922. Walk in the footsteps of your favourite Downton Abbey characters including the Dowager Countess, Lady Mary Crawley and Bates, Lord Grantham’s valet, and take a closer look at the rooms and vistas that formed the backdrop to this hugely popular series. Outside you can explore the beautiful gardens and 1,000 acres of spectacular parkland, designed for the 1st Earl of Carnarvon by the famous 18th-century landscape gardener Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. The castle also has a gift shop and a tea room.

Lamport Hall & Kelmarsh Hall & Gardens

Our first visit of the day is Lamport Hall and Gardens. We are treated to a guided tour of this stunning 17th-century country house. As we explore, we learn about the rich history of the Isham family, who have resided here for over 4 centuries. The tour includes a look at the exquisite collection of art and antiques, as well as the famous library and the ornate Drawing Room. The gardens, designed in the 19th century, offer a delightful stroll through carefully curated landscapes, featuring a mix of formal and informal planting styles.

After lunch at Lamport Hall, we make our way to Kelmarsh Hall and Gardens, another gem of Northamptonshire. This beautiful estate boasts a grand Georgian house set amidst stunning gardens and parkland. Inside, we find elegant rooms filled with historical treasures that provide insight into the lives of the former residents. The gardens at Kelmarsh are equally impressive, offering a variety of landscapes to enjoy, from the tranquil lake to the vibrant walled garden.

 

 

Burghley House & Stamford

Our first visit of the day is Lamport Hall and Gardens. We are treated to a guided tour of this stunning 17th-century country house. As we explore, we learn about the rich history of the Isham family, who have resided here for over 4 centuries. The tour includes a look at the exquisite collection of art and antiques, as well as the famous library and the ornate Drawing Room. The gardens, designed in the 19th century, offer a delightful stroll through carefully curated landscapes, featuring a mix of formal and informal planting styles.

After lunch at Lamport Hall, we make our way to Kelmarsh Hall and Gardens, another gem of Northamptonshire. This beautiful estate boasts a grand Georgian house set amidst stunning gardens and parkland. Inside, we find elegant rooms filled with historical treasures that provide insight into the lives of the former residents. The gardens at Kelmarsh are equally impressive, offering a variety of landscapes to enjoy, from the tranquil lake to the vibrant walled garden.

Belton House & Belvoir Castle

Our first visit of the day takes us to Belton House. Built in the 1680s, this historic gem is a classic example of an English country house estate, surrounded by formal gardens and a 1,300-acre deer park. Inside Belton, its wealth is evident with grand display rooms and impressive collections of porcelain, paintings and over 11,000 books amassed by the Brownlow and Cust families, with each generation making their mark on the house. Here, we can also discover the stunning works of Marian Alford and Nina, two wonderfully creative women whose works were heavily influenced by Belton.

Pronounced ‘Beaver’, fans of The Crown will no doubt recognise our next stop, the magnificent Belvoir Castle, with its fairytale towers and turrets standing in for Windsor Castle during series 1-3, as well as the State Dining Room, Elizabeth Saloon and more providing a lavish backdrop to many of the iconic interior scenes charting the highs and lows of the Royal Family. Belvoir is no stranger to the film cameras as it has also appeared in a range of blockbuster hits such as The Golden Bowl, The Da Vinci Code, The Young Victoria, A Royal Night Out, Victoria and Abdul and The Great TV series, so not only do we tread the path of Hollywood stars but also past monarchs, with James I, Charles I, Queen Victoria and Elizabeth II all leaving their footprints on the estate. This has been the ancestral home of the Duke of Rutland since the first Lord of Belvoir came to England with William the Conqueror in the 11th century. Since then, the family have lived in an unbroken line here, standing the test of vast remodelings, familial squabbles, wars and even a damaging fire in 1816 which destroyed priceless works of art by Rubens, Van Dyck and more. The current Duchess of Rutland, Emma Manners, even disguised herself as a cleaner so she could watch filming of The Crown! We find out more about Belvoir’s extensive history during a guided tour followed by afternoon tea. There’s also time to discover the blooming grounds, which features the rose-studded formal gardens, Japanese Woodland, the Regency-style Duchess Garden plus the remarkable ‘Capability’ Brown gardens, brought to fruition after his late 18th-century plans were discovered in the castle archives in January 2013.

This evening, we check into the Cavendish Hotel, our base for the next two nights.

Chatsworth House & Hardwick Hall

Today we travel to Derbyshire where we enjoy a guided tour of Chatsworth House before either a light lunch or afternoon tea. This magnificent treasure is home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire and has witnessed 16 generations of the powerful Cavendish family who acquired the estate in 1549. The house has evolved through the centuries to reflect the tastes, passions and interests of succeeding generations and boasts grandiose interiors and a superlative art collection while outside, the 1,000-acre park was chiefly designed by ‘Capability’ Brown.

Our next visit is to Hardwick Hall. Ordered in the 16th century by Bess of Hardwick, England’s richest woman after her Queen, Elizabeth I, Hardwick is a striking Elizabethan treasure. The lavish number of windows (at a time when glass was a luxury) inspired the phrase, “Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall”.

Harewood House & Harrogate

When Edwin Lascelles started building Harewood House in 1759, he employed the finest craftsmen of the time: York-born architect John Carr, interior designer Robert Adam, England’s greatest furniture maker Thomas Chippendale and visionary landscape gardener ‘Capability’ Brown. The house is also filled with an outstanding art collection ranging from Renaissance masterpieces to 20th-century art including paintings by JMW Turner, Reynolds, Titian and El Greco, and is still home to the Lascelles family, reflecting the changing tastes and styles of the past 250 years. We learn more on our fascinating guided tour, followed by lunch.

Our next stop is the elegant Victorian spa town of Harrogate, located in the heart of scenic Yorkshire, for some free time. Notable sights include the Royal Pump Room and the Grade II listed Royal Hall, and don’t miss the attractive Montpellier Quarter with its pedestrianized streets lined with 19th-century buildings.

From here, we make our way to Middlethorpe Hall & Spa near York, where we stay for the next three nights. After dinner, we enjoy a fascinating talk from a guest speaker.

Treasurer’s House, York & Castle Howard

This morning we visit Treasurer’s House in the heart of spectacular York. This architectural gem boasts a 2,000-year-old history and was the first house given complete with its contents to the National Trust in 1930. This is thanks to Frank Green, a wealthy industrialist who not only restored this magnificent house but used it to stage his remarkable collection of antique furniture, art and textiles.

We then enjoy some free time in York. The city is steeped in history, from its founding by the Romans in 71AD to its wealth as a medieval wool trading center, and there is plenty of evidence of this fascinating past left to admire, including the Roman city walls and the surviving medieval streets known as the Shambles. A must-see is York Minster, the largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe and home to some of the most stunning stained glass windows that have led to the Minster being described as ‘the Sistine Chapel of England’. There is time to find somewhere for lunch (not included) before we head out to our final visit of the day.

This evening, we are treated to a private guided tour of Castle Howard, home to the Howard family for over 300 years. Designed by Sir John Vanbrugh, Castle Howard has twice appeared as Brideshead in movie and television adaptations of Evelyn Waugh’s classic novel, as well as providing the backdrop for various scenes in the hit Netflix series, Bridgerton. This magnificent 18th-century residence, surmounted with its iconic gilded dome, offers world-renowned collections and stunning architecture, all set within 1,000 acres of breathtaking scenery.

Nostell Priory & York

This morning we visit Nostell Priory, a grand 18th-century Palladian house set in beautiful parkland and home to the Winn family for over 300 years. Designed by James Paine and later extended by Robert Adam, the house features one of the finest collections of Chippendale furniture in the country, created specifically for the estate. The interiors also showcase fine art and intricate decorative details, offering a fascinating glimpse into Georgian life. In the evening, we return to York for a historical pub walking tour.

Blenheim Palace & Garden visit

Leaving York, we travel south through scenic countryside to Oxfordshire and the magnificent Blenheim Palace. This UNESCO World Heritage Site was designed on an awe-inspiring scale by Vanbrugh and set in beautiful parkland landscaped by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown.

As the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough, the palace is synonymous with the Churchill family and is the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. A permanent exhibition commemorates the life of this famous wartime Prime Minister, whilst the magnificent State Rooms reveal a superb collection of tapestries, paintings, porcelain and furniture.

Afterward, we check into Hartwell House & Spa, one of the National Trust’s Historic House Hotels, our base for the last two nights. Tonight we enjoy dinner together at the hotel.

 

Waddesdon Manor

For our last touring day, we travel to Waddesdon Manor in the village of Buckinghamshire. Built by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild in the 1870s, the French-inspired château was lavishly designed to entertain guests and showcase his enthusiastic interest in art. From Dutch paintings to British portraiture, Waddesdon has one of the finest collections of French decorative arts. Nestled within 5,000 acres of beautiful parkland, the formal gardens are said to be one of the finest examples of late Victorian gardens in England and include a Rococo-style aviary, a Parterre, sculptures and more. Owned by the National Trust, this is one of their most visited properties.

We enjoy a guided house tour, followed by lunch and time at leisure to explore the manor and the gardens. This evening, we enjoy a farewell dinner together at the hotel.

Departure

A private transfer will take you back to Heathrow airport for your return flight home.