Detailed Itinerary
DAY 1
Monday: Arrival
On arrival at Heathrow Airport, a private transfer will take you to the Audleys Wood Hotel, our base for the next two nights. In the evening join the group for a welcome drink and canapés, followed by dinner.
Meals: Dinner
DAY 2
Tuesday: 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.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 3
Wednesday: Delapré Abbey, Lamport Hall & Gardens & Kelmarsh Hall & Gardens
For our first visit today we head to Delapré Abbey, where our guided tour illuminates its 900-year history. Built in 1145, it was once a nunnery but changed hands on many occasions and even played an important role in the Wars of the Roses during the Battle of Northampton. Threatened by destruction multiple times throughout the centuries, it still stands proud after a part restoration, boasting unique architecture, ancient doorways, a peaceful courtyard and fascinating rooms as well as five different storytelling zones.
Next stop is the Grade I listed Lamport Hall, surrounded by colourful gardens that are the result of 450 years of dedication. Its fascinating story began as a fine Tudor manor house, but Lamport has since had many different purposes; a hunting lodge, a country club, a base for the Northamptonshire Records Office, an army base, an Italian prisoner of war camp and a family home. There are plenty of treasures contained within the High Room of 1655, the 18th-century library and more, including a fine collection of furniture, books, china and art, amassed by the Isham family who lived here for over 400 years, with most items purchased during a grand tour of Europe in the 1670s. When the 12th Baronet Sir Gyles Isham died in 1976, he bestowed the estate to the Lamport Hall Preservation Trust, established to continue the hall’s restoration works and to ensure it exists for future generations to enjoy. We find out more during our guided tour, followed by lunch, and have time to explore the stunning grounds. Highlights include stunning herbaceous borders, a Walled Garden, a historic cricket pitch, an Edwardian stable block, the Eagle Walk with centuries-old Irish yews, fairytale woodlands and little feature ponds – it’s a real delight in the summertime.
We round off our lovely day with a trip to the Palladian-style Kelmarsh Hall, a Grade I listed country manor, designed for the Hanbury family in the 1700s by one of the country’s most influential architects, James Gibbs. Eight generations of the Hanbury family proceeded to live here and walked among the pink-walled Great Hall, the chandelier-bejewelled Saloon, the Chinese Room, with 300-year-old hand-painted wallpaper, the portrait-adorned Dining Room and the impressive library, complete with a secret door. During our visit we discover what Victorian life was like here ‘below stairs’ at the Servant’s Quarters and Old Laundry, a stark contrast to the finery of the rooms above and a captivating sensory experience throughout the Butler’s Pantry, service rooms and more. The house is nestled in award-winning Grade II listed gardens, brought to life by Nancy Lancaster in the 1920s, who lived at Kelmarsh and wanted the exteriors to reflect her traditional English country house interiors. The grounds offer a wonderfully fragrant place to unwind and marvel at a whole host of plants in the Sunken Garden, Walled Garden, Philadelphus Garden, Fan Rose Garden as well as the long borders, wilderness and lakeside areas plus a fairy walk in the woodland.
Later, we check into the Rutland Hall Hotel, where we stay for the next two nights.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 4
Thursday: Burghley House & Priest’s House
This morning we enjoy a guided tour of Burghley House, cited as England’s greatest Elizabethan house, surrounded by magnificent parkland. Home to William Cecil, Lord High Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I, Burghley offers a unique glimpse into the way great houses have been lived in from the time of Elizabeth I to the present day. Here we have time to explore the breathtaking State Rooms and the house’s historic collection of paintings, ceramics and works of art, many of which still stand where they were first recorded in 1688.
We then make a brief stop at Priest’s House in pretty Stamford, one of the National Trust’s smallest buildings, where a chantry priest would have lived until 1545, when chantries became illegal after the dissolution of the monasteries. This charming 15th-century gem contains local memorabilia, a stone circular staircase and an exhibition telling the story of the area’s industrial past.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 5
Friday: 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.
Meals: Breakfast, Afternoon Tea, Dinner
DAY 6
Tuesday: Saturday: 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 neat phrase, ‘Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall’.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch or Afternoon Tea, Dinner
DAY 7
Sunday: 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.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 8
Monday: 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.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 9
Tuesday: Nostell Priory
Today we visit Nostell Priory, an 18th-century architectural masterpiece which has been the home of the Winn family for 300 years. Set in landscaped parkland of wildflower meadows, peaceful lakes, fairytale woodland and colourful gardens, Nostell is also home to England’s best documented collection of Chippendale furniture, designed especially for the estate. There are even more gems to discover here, such as a John Harrison longcase clock, Chinese porcelain, thousands of books, intricate paintings and even six special items from the recent book, 125 Treasures from the Collections of the National Trust.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 10
Wednesday: Blenheim Palace
After checking out of our hotel, we head to Blenheim Palace, designed on an awe-inspiring scale by Vanbrugh and set in beautiful parkland landscaped by ‘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 there is also a superb collection of tapestries, paintings, porcelain and furniture. As part of our afternoon celebration experience, we marvel at the lavish State Rooms on a guided tour, take a stroll through the pretty water terraces, indulge in a champagne afternoon tea and enjoy some free time to explore – a simply lovely way to spend an afternoon during the British summer.
We continue on to Hartwell House & Spa, one of the National Trust’s Historic House Hotels, where we stay for the two remaining nights of our tour.
Meals: Breakfast, Afternoon Tea, Dinner
DAY 11
Thursday: Waddesdon Manor
We make our way to Waddesdon Manor, built by the wealthy Rothschild family in the style of a Renaissance château. 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 tour to find out more about Waddesdon’s history and are treated to a carefully-curated lunch by the manor’s talented chefs.
Later, we enjoy a farewell dinner at the hotel together.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 12
Friday: Departure
A private transfer will take you back to Heathrow Airport for your return flight home.
Meals: Breakfast
Please note: the order of excursions is subject to change and guided tours are subject to restrictions.
Email us today to reserve at BKennedy@Royal-oak.org or call 212-480-2889 ext. 203
