Mansions and private mansions to visit United Kingdom

Home of Sir John Soane, the architect behind The Bank of England. A collector and art enthusiast, Soane amassed dozens of architectural pieces and small sculptures, which he installed throughout his house. Explore the new areas open to the public: catacombs, basement and hall. Overflowing with Egyptian, Roman, medieval and Renaissance curiosities, this museum is a little wonder. By reservation, one Friday a month, at dusk, this museum can be visited by candlelight. A magical atmosphere guaranteed!

Built at the very beginning of the 18th century in 1701, during the reign of Queen Anne, the Mompesson House boasts magnificent ceilings and an absolutely sumptuous oak staircase. There is a strange, nostalgic atmosphere in the house that contrasts with the hustle and bustle of Cathedral Close. It was for this reason, among others, that it was selected as the location for the film Reasons and Feelings, based on the novel by Jane Austen. A visit not to be missed for lovers of beautiful homes!

To visit Dunollie is to visit 3 sites. First, Dunollie Castle: its ruins, with a last renovation completed in 2019, offer a superb panoramic view on the Oban bay. Then the house-museum: a house from 1745 where each room has been renovated and fitted out to display old objects (^19th century) testifying to the daily life of its occupants. From the kitchen to the children's rooms, we discover everything about the life of a family in the 1800s. The museum also tells the story of the MacDougall clan and, through their epic story, traces the history of Scotland. Then, the park: its course invites to better understand the various invasions which marked the history of Scotland. It is also an opportunity to learn more about the civilization and mythology of the Vikings.

Regularly during the school vacations, the site offers practical and manual workshops of 1 hour for children (£5), which can be an excellent idea to familiarize them with English. There is also the possibility to follow a guided tour at no extra cost or to organize specific visits: adapted to children, focusing on the discovery of the gardens, taking a closer look at the old textiles..

You can have lunch, a picnic or a snack on the spot, thanks to The Kettle café and its menu, made of home-made products, very tasty and at mini prices.

If you like the Georgian style and the architecture of William Adam, then you can't miss this iconic site. The manor house is simply splendid, seen from the inside and outside, and offers a rich history, from its construction, to royal visits and its use as a prison camp in wartime. It is a place devoted to art, with regular exhibitions in collaboration with the National Galleries of Scotland, a landscaped park of ornamental follies and a superb neo-gothic mausoleum, among others.

Mount Stuart is a remarkable Victorian neo-Gothic palace built between 1879 and 1900. Intended for the Marquis de Bute, it succeeded a 1719 building that went up in smoke during a fire in 1877. It owes its great beauty to the architect Robert Rowand Anderson, who sought to reflect the good taste of its sponsor, a descendant of King Robert the Bruce. The interiors, as mysterious as they are refined, are in keeping with his passion for art, astrology, mythology and religion. However, he did not have time to settle there, his death having occurred just before the house was completed. With the guided tours (mid season) and the free visit (high season: July and August), visitors can enjoy its great architectural and stylistic value. It is difficult not to succumb to the elegance of the chapel, the marble staircase, the drawing room and the intriguing horoscope room. The palace is also an artistic place with contemporary art exhibitions renewed every year.

In addition to the palace, the gardens also have a high artistic value. Made to be explored, they offer many treasures in the form of arboreal and horticultural collections of world importance, with a surprising touch of tropical essences. It must be said that the Bute family was passionate about plants, and you can feel it: landscape art at its best, arboretum and pinetum (800 conifers!).

And if you fancy a snack, the Courtyard Cafe & shop will be perfect with its fresh local produce.

Built in 1905 for Baron de Palmer, Manderston House is a sumptuous example of Edwardian style. When John Kinross, the architect, asked what his budget was, he was told that it didn't matter.... The result is there to prove it: this luxurious residence is just as luxurious as its gardens are charming. Don't miss the ballroom, the marble floors, the very advanced kitchen fittings, and the world's only silver staircase. The formal gardens (56 ha) are also superb and worth a stroll.

A Palladian villa from the 1750s, Dumfries House was built by the famous John and Robert Adam, with interiors decorated by Thomas Chippendale. Some rooms have been estimated at £4 million! Originally commissioned for William Dalrymple, Earl of Dumfries, it passed into the hands of the Marquesses of Bute in 1814. When the 7th Marquis decided to sell the house in 2007, his fate and that of its remarkable furniture was more than uncertain. Prince Charles himself, Duke of Rothesay, mobilized for its preservation and its opening to the public. Some of his watercolours can be seen in one of the salons. Since 2008, four different visits (all in English) have been organised to this symbolic building of the Scottish Enlightenment, which also includes 200 hectares of the original park, with promenades and an enclosed garden.

Special Favourite: The Dumfries House café is a must for a snack, as it is served in the old stables, with tables set in the stables where the horses used to be. Their names can still be read.

Park side: You can spend a whole day here, between the house and the huge park. Families will enjoy the children's adventure park and the educational farm. Garden lovers will stroll through the Chinese-inspired garden (with its bridge), the arboretum, the Rothesay gardens and the Queen Elisabeth Walled Garden.

Staying at Dumfries House: 22 magnificent guest rooms are now available for overnight stays, (B&B from £170/night).

This luxurious stately home was designed by the famous Scottish architect William Adam, in a Palladian style at the height of elegance and refinement. The house, which is over 400 years old, has many stories to tell and each room is filled with historical anecdotes. For example, the Queen's Bedroomis named after Queen Victoria who stayed here in 1857. Works of art are omnipresent here, thanks to an invaluable collection of paintings by Victorian painter James Giles. Don't leave without admiring the beautiful formal gardens.

Sometimes a retreat for kings in peacetime, sometimes a refuge for Catholics in wartime, the Stuart de Traquair family has always been faithful to the cause of Mary Queen of Scots and the Jacobites. At Traquair House, we discover nearly a thousand years of history. The wooded park is ideal for strolling or adventures in its maze of more than 2,000 m². The plus: the brewery that existed until the 18th century restarted production in 1965 and the products can be tasted. And, uh... The establishment also does B&B, for a night in an extraordinary setting!

William Adam is at the origin of this seductive witness of 18th century Scottish architecture. Begun in 1725, the construction of Mellerstain House was completed by his son, Robert Adams. The interiors are elegant and harmonious, thanks to a very accomplished Georgian décor and several works by great painters, such as Aikman, Gainsborough, Ramsay and Van Dyck. The beautifully landscaped gardens offer pleasant views of the lake and the Cheviot Hills. A contemporary sculpture park offers another dimension to the ensemble. Superb!

Located at the end of Gay Street, The Circus is the masterpiece of architect John Wood (Sr.). It consists of 30 houses lined up in a circle. Famous people have taken up residence here: at random, the names of the painter Gainsborough, the politician William Pitt, or the writer David Livingstone can be read on commemorative plaques. Brock Street connects the square to the Royal Crescent. Designed by John Wood (son), it was the glory of Bath in Georgian times.

Wooden house of the th century. You can't visit the inside, but the outside is worth a look.

Beautiful gardens. If construction began in the th century, it was completed in the th and th centuries and the style is now more rococo than medieval. Note the west elevation by Christopher Wren. The Duke of Malmesbury was the first to reside here. Today private property, however open to the public by appointment.

Visit of a former Roman villa and discovered the crafts of the time through manual activities.

This Elizabethan-style manor house was built in the 16th century by the Prideaux-Brune family, supposed descendants of William the Conqueror who still live there today. Its interior, richly decorated with magnificent ceilings, made it the location of many period films. Very beautiful view of the Camel River. The house offers a beautiful collection of artwork, including royal and family portraits, quality furniture and the Prideaux porcelain collection. The ceiling discovered in the Grand Chamber is a masterpiece.

The house where Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield. The pieces are decorated as they would have been in the th century.

In 1864, this 32-room Roman villa with baths and mosaics dating from the ^1st century A.D. was excavated. It is set in the heart of a beautiful valley. In the basement, you can visit the baths, kitchens, salons, temple and latrines of the period. It was later transformed into a large half-timbered manor house, and the audio commentary helps to recreate the atmosphere of the time. One of the largest Roman villas in Britain, it offers a rare insight into Roman life in the country.

Currently managed by Lord Mountbatten's grandson, the character who décolonisa the British Empire of India. The property of Broadlands will remind you all the statesmen who stayed there. It was designed and realized by Capability Brown, and the Yellow Dining Room or "Wedgwood" Blue Room will surprise you… The Mountbatten exhibition outlines the three careers of this man: the sailor, the statesman and the commander. A very classic visit, but in the sense of the word. Trout and salmon fishing in the Test River.

We visit the family house of the ancestors of Andrei Simpson Grant, 18 ^th President of the United States (1869-1877), completely remodelled as a genuine farm of times, only the furniture is not original.

In the nearby market town of Wilton, Wilton House is an elegant noble residence that has belonged to the Earls of Pembroke for over 400 years. Enlarged and embellished over the years, it is an example of highly refined architecture and its interiors are of rare beauty. It is best known for its seven state rooms. The site also boasts some of England's first known formal gardens, with grottoes and water features, and has been the location for several films, including Barry Lindon and Pride and Prejudice.