Founded in 1895 to safeguard places of historical and natural beauty throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the National Trust now looks after more than 500 properties, many of which you may never have heard of. (Scotland also has its own National Trust, established in 1931.) Until 30 November, National Trust is offering one free ticket per household (up to two adults and four children) to sites that usually charge entry. Just show your ticket at the site of your choice – but check which properties are exempt before you set off. Some are quirky, some are creepy, but all are equally fascinating.
Set among the theatres, clubs and chicken shops of one of Birmingham’s nightlife districts, the entrance to the Birmingham Back to Backs isn’t what you’d typically expect from a National Trust property. But behind the unassuming façade sits the city’s last-surviving examples of back-to-back working-people’s houses, built around a shared courtyard and inhabited from the 1840s to the 1970s. Given the small size of the site, visitors can only access the Back to Backs on pre-booked guided tours. The Trust also runs themed exhibitions and Heritage Open Days that document the multi-layered history of Birmingham and its residents.
While Fyvie Castle might be familiar to the Scottish, its legends are less known elsewhere. Given its 800 years of history, it’s no wonder the fortress is said to be both cursed and haunted – but if that doesn’t put you off, those wishing to languish like a laird can book a special group stay in the castle’s Preston Tower, which sleeps a whopping 16 people. Aside from the ghoulish inhabitants, there is also an important portrait collection on-site, as well as beautiful architecture and artefacts to marvel at. Entry to the castle is by guided tour.
The Treasurer’s House of York is described by the National Trust as “a house of contradictions”. It was transformed into its current state by the eccentric last owner, Frank Green, who filled its 13 rooms with his curiosities, and brought together an eclectic assortment of architectural styles and inspirations. While a tour ticket is needed to see the house’s interior, visitors can walk around the award-winning gardens, with its views of York Minster, or dine in the downstairs café without one. In 1930, Treasurer’s House became the first to be gifted to the Trust complete with its collection.
Located on the ‘Tin Coast’, Levant Mine and Beam Engine clings to a cliff belonging to the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site. First used in the 1840s, the beam engine has been restored to still function on steam as it would have back in its heyday. While the wider Levant site doesn’t require a ticket to view, access to the engine house and other buildings is by guided tour only. Note that there’s no café or parking here; visitors must park at Geevor Mine and walk along the coast path to reach Levant, which is only a small hardship given the glorious surroundings.
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The British Isles’ last working water-powered spade mill in daily use, Patterson’s Spade Mill gives a glimpse into how heritage industries can still survive in the modern world. Established by the Patterson family in 1695 and handed down through the generations until 1990, when it was passed to the Trust, the spade mill now offers tours and blacksmithing classes that teach visitors about the craft of spade-making and even gives them the chance to try it for themselves. It’s a visceral and unique experience, with heat from the fires and the sound of steel being hammered echoing around you.
Pitstone Windmill, nestled within the Chiltern Hills, is one of the oldest-surviving post mills in the country. Before a catastrophic storm in the early 1990s damaged the structure beyond repair, it supplied the locals with flour for almost three centuries. Carefully restored to its former glory by a team of volunteers after the Trust took it on in 1937, the windmill now invites tourists to explore its inner and outer workings, which remain noteworthy despite being inactive. The mill sits within the Ashridge Estate, which can be enjoyed further on long walks.
Lovingly cultivated over 150 years, Bodnant Garden is heaven for horticulturalists. Feeling at times more like the grounds of an Italianate villa than a garden in the foothills of Snowdonia, Bodnant sprawls across woodland, lawns and floral terraces in a kaleidoscope of colour, no matter the season. The Trust have been custodians since 1949, but Bodnant’s first buds bloomed long before; during the Victorian era, plants were gathered by intrepid explorers from all over the world. You can prebook tickets in advance of your arrival, but this isn’t essential as walk-ups can typically be accommodated.
Built in the 18th century, A la Ronde is an unusual 16-sided house with equally characterful interiors, set among meadows and apple trees near Exmouth. But its appearance is far from the most interesting thing about it. Its first owners were a pair of unmarried cousins, Mary and Jane Parminter, who were completely financially independent, allowing them the luxury of being able to travel freely. Returning from a European grand tour, they set up home at A la Ronde and filled it with souvenirs from their sojourns.
Little Moreton Hall looks wonky enough from the outside, but it’s not until you enter that the true extent of the Tudor manor’s higgledy-piggledy charm can be felt. The warped walls and distorted floors are believed to be the result of a long gallery that was added to Little Moreton’s design later on; this has led to the ground and first floors being crushed under its weight over time. As well as touring the inside, visitors are welcome to wander the Elizabethan knot-style garden and refuel in the tea room.
In the Southside suburbs of Scotland’s second city, Greenbank Garden offers a surprising oasis in the middle of an urban setting. The garden and its corresponding house were built in the 1760s for Robert Allason, a tobacco merchant and slave trader – he went bankrupt after the American Revolutionary War and lost the estate. Now home to more than 3,600 different plant species and a National Collection of Bergenia, Greenbank aims to inspire home-gardeners by showing them just how much is possible in their back (and front) yards. Spring is an especially magical time to visit, when the daffodils and bluebells flower.
The only remaining Regency playhouse in Britain, Theatre Royal Bury St. Edmunds has been around since 1819. It still presents live performances today, with an evolving programme of musicals, plays, pantos, dance performances and children’s shows. Whether you plan to visit the Grade I-listed building as an audience member or on one of the venue’s guided tours, you’ll be able to glimpse delicate details of the past through its design and architecture. Tours last an hour, running outside of the summer and festive seasons.
Standing on a site which dates back to the medieval period, Blaise Hamlet is a tiny settlement of nine historic cottages overlooking an open green. It is one of the earliest examples of this kind of community planning, developed in 1811 as a retirement village for former employees of the Blaise Castle estate. The cottages are still residential today, so venturing inside sadly isn’t on the cards. But members of the public can access the green and admire the buildings from there. Located five miles (8km) north of Bristol, it's one of the city’s best-kept secrets.
Nestled in the countryside near the market town of Stourbridge, Kinver Edge and its Holy Austin Rock Houses are little-known jewels of the West Midlands. The site comprises an Iron Age hill fort and red sandstone ridges, out of which several cave-like homes were carved. Some of these have been restored, even furnished, by the National Trust and are open to ticket-holders, where guides will talk you through what life would have been like here for people. In addition to its beguiling history and geology, Kinver Edge is great for walking and wildlife-watching.
Boasting 40 acres of manicured gardens, 129 acres of woods and parkland, and sweeping views over the Menai Strait, Plas Newydd has its own mild microclimate perfectly suited for rhododendrons, orchids, magnolias, hydrangeas and even rare Australasian tree species to thrive. It's comprised of a picture-perfect mansion and grounds, and you can easily spend an entire day at the property studying the artworks by Rex Whistler, relaxing in the arboretum or waiting patiently in wildlife hides. There’s a café, shop and adventure playground too.
Perched upon the infamous White Cliffs of Dover, the South Foreland Lighthouse is a beloved Victorian relic and the first in the world to ever use electric light. During its 142 operational years, it would have ushered seafarers safely through the Strait of Dover, flashing its beam to signal warnings of the temperamental Goodwin sandbank. A guided tour here ends with a climb to the very top of the lighthouse, whose balcony offers unencumbered views across the English Channel. You can even borrow a kite from the National Trust to fly on the blustery headland.
Beginning life in 1761 as a summerhouse for the Earl of Dunmore, The Pineapple is an absurdly beautiful building and an eccentric nod to the tropical fruit’s first forays into Scotland. At one time, a vast and varied selection of unusual fruits and vegetables grew in the Pineapple’s surrounding pits and greenhouses, but these grounds have since been reclaimed by nature. Visitors wandering past the former curling pond may spy frogs and newts frolicking near the water. An orchard of crab apples still stands proud in the walled garden too.
The Workhouse and Infirmary in Southwell are the best-preserved examples of these kinds of buildings still left in existence. During the 19th century, there were hundreds of workhouses all over the UK, for which this became the blueprint. Built in 1824 to mimic the design of a prison, with an austere and isolating environment to match, the Workhouse could hold around 160 inmates who’d been forced here by circumstance. Visiting and learning the building’s history is extremely thought-provoking and on Heritage Open Days, it’s possible to enter for free.
Mendips and 20 Forthlin Road may look ordinary, but these suburban Liverpool addresses are where the earliest seeds were sewn for one of the biggest rock bands in world history. An official National Trust tour is the only way to see inside these houses – which are the childhood homes of John Lennon and Sir Paul McCartney – so booking as far in advance as possible is strongly recommended. You’ll stand on the very spot where Lennon and McCartney composed I Saw Her Standing There, and visit the places where they had some of their earliest rehearsals.
After inheriting the Arts and Crafts-style Wightwick Manor 30 years prior, a Midlands paint manufacturer and Liberal MP named Geoffrey Mander decided in 1937 to donate the house to the National Trust. Mander and his wife still lived in the house when it opened to the public, acting as the resident curators of its impressive Pre-Raphaelite art collection. You don’t need to pre-book your visit, and be sure to stop by the tea room and second-hand bookshop on your way out.
What Seaton Delaval Hall might lack in size, it certainly makes up for in secrets. A hotspot for revelry in Georgian England, it was designed by architect Sir John Vanbrugh for the Delaval family of socialites. Nicknamed the ‘Gay Delavals’, they were notorious for their pranks and spectacular events, including masquerade balls and theatrical productions. Nowadays, there is still plenty for visitors to do here, from learning more about the hall’s chequered past and attending immersive exhibitions, to lounging in the gardens and participating in after-dark bat walks.
Located on the edge of Exmoor, Arlington Court is a Regency residence that, in 1964, opened up its stable block to house eight retired horse-drawn carriages. These vehicles have lived in the museum ever since and over the years, have been joined by around 40 more carriages, ranging from lavish stagecoaches to more modest governess carts. There are also over 20 miles (32km) of designated footpaths to enjoy around the estate, plus a Victorian garden and tea room.
The grey timber-framed Lavenham Guildhall, or the Guildhall of Corpus Christi, was built circa 1530 as a meeting place for the well-heeled Catholic craftsmen that helped establish the surrounding village as one of the wealthiest in Tudor England. Though its function may have evolved with age (becoming a prison, workhouse, pub and restaurant over the years), the building remains as much a central part of the community now as it was 500 years ago.
Wandering through the grounds at Nymans is like an adventure straight out of ‘The Secret Garden’. Visitors can expect to find a cosy yet refined house at its heart, surrounded by a tangle of fragrant roses and magnolias, as well as secluded corners and stone archways. The crumbling ruins of a great Gothic hall form the most intriguing feature of the gardens, which has been transformed by flowers and plants to reflect the work of Oliver Messel, a famed costume and set designer who lived at Nymans as a boy. Guided tours and independent visits are both available at select times.
The building known as Tintagel Old Post Office started life in the 14th century as a yeoman’s home, and is today a rare study of what a medieval longhouse looked like. Having had many uses in its 600-year-plus history, it was as a Victorian post office that the property fell under National Trust care in 1903. Tourists are welcome to enter the five-roomed cottage, where you’ll find a display of old postal equipment. Personalise your own letter in the old letter-receiving office or find calm in the quaint garden.
Who knew pubs could be National Trust properties? The Crown isn’t just your average boozer. Evoking the high-Victorian gin palaces of old, it comes complete with dramatic marble columns, mosaic floors, stained-glass windows, gas lighting and carved ceilings. The former owner, Patrick Flanigan, engaged Belfast-based Italian artisans working on the city’s Catholic cathedrals to help with the interior design in their spare time and the results are pretty spectacular. With so many hidden features to discover here, you’d better get a round in...
Tucked away in the North Staffordshire hinterland, Biddulph Grange is a remarkable country estate whose gardens transport visitors from the pyramids of Egypt to the pagodas of China within a matter of minutes. Created by James Bateman as a place to nurture his collection of global plants, the garden paradise is home to the oldest-living golden larch tree in Britain, which was brought over from China in the 1850s. With free-entry Heritage Open Days and minibeast garden safaris for children, a visit here is always something special.
Rust-bricked Tattershall Castle dates back to the 15th century when it was built by Lord Ralph Cromwell, Treasurer of England, as a show of status and influence. Overlooking the Lincolnshire fens, which can be viewed in all their beauty from the battlements of the Great Tower, the property possesses winding staircases, grand fireplaces and luxurious chambers. Look closely at the more modern stained-glass windows, which were added after the old ones fell into disrepair; they trace the castle’s history up to the last private owner, Lord Curzon.
Townend is simply a well-loved family home – but it's that which makes it such a delight to explore. Housing generations of the Browne family over some 400 years, the stone and slate Lake District farmhouse often welcomes visitors with an open fire and cooking demonstrations straight out of Elizabeth Browne’s 1699 recipe book. Whether you prefer a self-led visit or a guided tour, note that Townend is only open on selected days, so pre-booking is advised.
An unusually contemporary addition to the National Trust’s portfolio, 2 Willow Road is a 1939 Modernist home in Hampstead, designed by visionary architect Ernő Goldfinger. Ernő lived in the property with his family until his death in 1987 and it was acquired by the Trust in 1995. Entry is by pre-booked guided tour only, on which guests can uncover intricate design features, as well as the Goldfingers’ personal collection of modern art and eclectic belongings.
Located on Northern Ireland’s magnificent north coast, Mussenden Temple and Downhill Demesne offers three enchanting properties for the price of one. The 18th-century mansion Downhill belonged to the Earl Bishop and his estate extended to a jaw-dropping cliff edge on which Mussenden Temple, a former library modelled on the Temple of Vesta in Rome, is positioned. A short walk from the cliff lies Hezlett House which, at 250 years-old, is one of the region’s oldest buildings.