Historic Houses & Castles
STAYCATION SPECIAL
Packages which include a two course dinner from our set menu, bed and breakfast are available with free cancellation up to 24 hours prior to check in.
At a Glance
- Location: 11.1 miles North East
- Admission (2021): Palace, Park & Gardens Adult £29.50, Child £16.50 – Park & Gardens Adult £18.50, Child £9
- Open: All Year
- More Information: View website
Blenheim Palace
This is the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With a combination of impressive Baroque architecture, superbly landscaped parkland and stunning formal gardens – Blenheim ticks all the boxes.
Explore over 2000 acres of ‘Capability’ Brown parkland and 90 acres of award-winning formal gardens. You can also ride the miniature train to the Pleasure Gardens, a dedicated family area that offers a giant hedge maze, butterfly house and an adventure playground.
At a Glance
- Location: 12 miles East
- Admission (2021): £14.45 Adult, £9.45 Child
- Open: All Year
- More Information: View website
Oxford Castle & Prison
Explore the 1,000 year history of Oxford Castle and Prison where you can step back in time with costumed guided tours and hear great tales of Empress Matilda or the fate of Mary Blandy, one of the prisons’ most famous criminals. If you dare you can step inside the padded jail cell or meet the notorious ‘Black Panther’, a vicious prisoner held here in the 1970s. Then escape to see the gorgeous views of Oxford from St. George’s Tower or descend into the atmospheric crypt of St George’s Chapel. Here you can touch the stones where Oxford University was rumoured to have begun and stand in the birthplace of King Arthur.
At a Glance
- Location: 12 Miles East
- Admission (2021): Varies
- Open: All Year
- More Information: View website
University of Oxford
Oxford University is the oldest University in the English speaking world, and with so many famous figures and great minds having studied here, you can imagine youself walking in their footsteps, seeing the same views that they had. “Where is Oxford University?” many tourists ask – and the answer is: it’s all around you! The University is made up of 38 independent colleges, and their quads, buildings and campuses can be found all over the city.
Many of them are free to visit, some charge a small fee, but many colleges open their doors to visitors at least a few hours every day. If you’ve seen Morse, Lewis, Endeavour or the many movies using Oxford – including Harry Potter – then this is the place for you!
At a Glance
- Location: 41 Miles North East
- Admission (2021): £21 Adult, £12.50 Child
- Open: All Year
- More Information: View website
Bletchley Park
The extraordinary story of the World War 2 codebreakers is much more well known these days, so this qualifies as an Historic House as it was here at Bletchley Park, working in total secrecy in the famous code breaking huts, that the German enigma machine messages were finally broken. The museum in Block B tells the story of codes and the breaking of the Lorenz cipher and there is the Mansion house to visit where this fascinating story all started. You can learn not just about Alan Turing, but also some of the other 10,000 people who worked at the site during its active life.
Image credits: Sidharth Bhatia Unsplash / Attraction websites
Information correct at April 2021. Please confirm details direct with attraction. E&OE.
Why not take a picnic?
To make things easier we can put together a picnic lunch for you to take on your travels, just ask at reception for more details.