England Family-Friendly Sightseeing, Attractions & Activities

recommended places to visit and things to do with children in England


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magnificent late Victorian country house, with the feel of a wealthy but unpretentious family home, including a rare book collection

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a fine Georgian villa designed by William Kent with a rich collection of Old Master Paintings and fine furniture. Free entry to the 65 acres of Grade I listed gardens with grand vistas, architectural delights, water features and a children's play area

Althorp Park

Northampton

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ancestral home of the Spencer family since the sixteenth century with a fine collection of antiques. Diana, Princess of Wales was laid to rest here

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former home of The Priors of Nostell and Mayor of York - rediscovered behind modern facade in 1980s - restored to original 15th century splendour - magnificent Great Hall

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displaying exhibitions of contemporary and historic art in the spacious Saloon Galleries. The gardens are experiencing a renaissance with new planting schemes, enhancing the herbaceous borders

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experience an evocative and intimate insight into living in Back to Back housing from the1840s to the 19790s

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situated in the beautiful parkland of the Blaise Estate at Henbury, the Museum is housed in a late eighteenth century mansion. Here you can see all sorts of familiar - and not so familiar - items from homes through history

Cragside

Rothbury

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the first house in the world to be lit by hydroelectricity crammed full of ingenious gadgets – most of them still working and with one of the largest rock gardens in Europe

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stretching across 3,000 acres of ancient woodland, steeped in history, but with delightful contrasts from the picturesque dingle to the remarkable pieces by Moore and Matisse

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a fine Georgian town house, exuding a welcoming feeling, with a richly decorated interior with many objects d'art and a special children's tour

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former home of Agatha Christie with a relaxed 1950s style with a large romantic wooded garden and a shop selling her novels

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historic house and grade 1 Cornish gardens with the national camellia collection within 865 acre park on Rame Peninsula

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step back to the 1920s and discover how a grocer's family lived in a Midlands market town through their furnishings and household objects

Nostell

Wakefield

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with a world class collection of furniture, textiles and wallpaper and priceless paintings inside and room to explore outside - including cycle trails -

Osborne House

East Cowes

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Queen Victoria's palatial holiday home offering a treasured insight with a visit to the private apartments and the Swiss Cottage where the children played

Sandringham

Sandringham

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the much loved country retreat of HM Queen Elizabeth ll. Explore objets d'art collected by the Royal family, or browse the classic cars in the Transport Museum

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the ancestral home of Patrick Lichfield, the fashion photographer, a glamorous estate mansion with sweeping parkland and a natural play area for children

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a place of enormous character, charm and interest. Visitors are frequently struck by the warm and intimate atmosphere and the feeling that Arley is a much-cherished family home with beautiful landscaped gardens

Bowood

Calne

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this beautiful stately home houses a vast collection of antiquities, chapel, library, sculpture gallery, laboratory, costumes, adventure playground & beautiful woodland gardens

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once the home to Sir Francis Drake with contemporary furnishings and artefacts, an impressive medieval Great Barn and extensive gardens

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holiday home of the D'Oyly Carte family built in the Arts & Crafts style with a joyful atmosphere enhanced by music and a 30 acre garden

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set in classical parkland landscaped by Capability Brown, now with an adventure playground, this period mansion is also a world class art gallery

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where Jane Austen lived and wrote some of her finest work with letters, memorabilia, illustrated books and other contemporary artefacts

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set in over 6000 acres of woodland, a welcoming Georgian house, holding the National Trust's largest fashion collection with interactive displays

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the Gothic Revival house is surrounded by gardens which are a masterpiece of architectural planting, home to one of the most outstanding botanical collections in the country

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set in a picturesque location surrounded by a deer park with family heirlooms in the castle and extensive grounds to explore

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late 17th Century house with sumptuous interiors including the Museum of Childhood. Explore childhoods of times gone by, play with toys and share stories

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medieval Manor House which was the ancestral home of George Washington, with a tranquil garden and a 'nuttery' - a haven for wildlife

A la Ronde

Exmouth

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unique 16-sided house dating from the late 18th century, containing many quirky objects & mementoes, including a fragile shell gallery

Adlington Hall

Macclesfield

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the rooms all display original furniture alongside paintings and portraits that bring to life the story of the house and its occupants including an important 17th Century, played by Handel. Explore the extensive gardens and challenging maze

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beautiful medieval house is part of the story of King Henry VIII and his divorce settlement with his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. Highlights include atmospheric furnished rooms and a Tudor garden with traditional plants

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intimate Regency mansion with many treasures, Victorian garden and a Carriage Museum showcasing vehicles for every occasion

Attingham Park

Shrewsbury

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surrounded by a beautiful landscaped deer park, this elegant country house has had its fortunes rise and fall; this is still visible in the building today

Bradley Manor

Newton Abbot

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medieval manor house - still a family home - set in riverside meadows & woodland - unspoilt & relaxing -

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a fine Elizabethan mansion refurbished in the 17th Century with extensive collections of paintings and objets d'art

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ancient and peaceful, this tranquil Tudor manor house is far from today's busy lifestyle and is surrounded by rare terraced gardens

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the ‘Great House’ referred to in Jane Austen’s letters, now sensitively restored and find inspiration in the lives and works of our women writers

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a surviving example of a family home built in the 13th century and then modernised in 1618 including period enactments throughout the year

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dating back to the fourteenth century with a recent up date in the twentieth, this majestic castle is surrounded by lovely gardens

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dating back to the sixteenth century, a unique collection of historic artefacts relating to the ancient school and its pupils

Holkham

Holkham

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an elegant Palladian stately home, with a magnificent walled garden, extensive parkland with cycle routes and children's play areas

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the Italianate rotunda houses paintings by Gainsborough and Velasquez with a fine collection of silver surrounded by rolling parkland

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moated, Tudor manor with fine furniture and paintings, surrounded by period gardens and offering a variety of hands on Education Days for children

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restored 15th century stone cottage suggested as the home of Mary Newman, the first wife of Sir Francis Drake - atmospheric

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this stately home spans the centuries with a colourful history and reputed ghost. There is also a Hawk & Owl Centre with a wide range of birds

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dating from the 14th Century, the name dates from the Victorian period when it briefly held a licence to be the letter receiving station for the district with postal exhibits and samplers and furniture dating back to the 16th Century

  • historic house
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • seasonal opening
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  • National Trust
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  • shop
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  • antiques
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  • art
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  • furniture
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  • history
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  • walking

Jacobean country house with many fine artefacts including rare clocks, set in fine formal and informal gardens including a working watermill

Auckland Castle

Bishop Auckland

  • historic house
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • seasonal opening
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  • antiques
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  • art
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  • furniture
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  • religion

the official residence of the Bishop of Durham and the country residence of the Bishops since Norman times. The chapel is thought to be the largest private chapel in Europe

  • historic house
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  • family-friendly
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  • seasonal opening
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  • antiques
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  • architecture
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  • walking

built in 1153, this castle's dungeon is the scene of Edward II's murder. Now the home of the Berkeley family, it has various treasures, including paintings, silver, furniture, and an Elizabethan garden

  • historic house
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  • park
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  • family-friendly
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  • seasonal opening
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  • National Trust
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  • café
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  • guided tours
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  • antiques
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  • art
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  • history
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  • walking

set in a beautiful and diverse garden, this Elizabethan castle is still a family home displaying portraits, alongside contemporary photographs

Townend

Troutbeck

  • historic house
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  • garden
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  • family-friendly
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  • all-weather attraction
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  • seasonal opening
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  • National Trust
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  • shop
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  • antiques
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  • furniture
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  • history
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  • literature

a fine example of vernacular architecture with the personal touch of the family who lived there including their well used library

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