When you’re in the mood for a wholesome day out, the National Trust has your back. From Tudor mansions to Edwardian cottages, ancient woodlands to eccentric castles, the heritage takes care of more than 500 historic sites across the country and protects them so that we, the public, get to enjoy their magnificence too.
One thing that the Trust’s properties all have in common is that they offer a lovely, peaceful respite from the never ending movement of the city. And for Londoners, there are plenty of wonderful homes and gardens within easy reach.
So, for the next time you need a breather from the Big Smoke, head to one of these top 10 National Trust properties near London, as chosen by the charity itself.
The best National Trust sites to visit near London
Sheffield Park and Garden, Sussex
With winding paths, rare plants, charming bridges and pretty water falls, this is a Grade I-listed landscape that, in the summer, bursts with brilliant colour. Between June and September, visitors will be able to see gorgeous yellow and pink waterlilies floating on the garden’s lakes as part of its Lakes and Lilies Festival. And in July and August, there’ll be outdoor theatre performances of Romeo and Juliet and The Jungle Book.
Chartwell, Kent
Chartwell is the former home of Winston Churchill and was a place for the wartime PM to go to have a break from the immense stress of politics. Sixty years since it first opened to the public, the property remains much as Winnie left it and is full of his personal books, photographs and personal mementoes. To celebrate the anniversary of opening to the public, Chartwell is running a programme of live music, special displays and guided tours from May 23 until July 19.
Osterley Park and House, London
You won’t have to travel far at all for this one. Osterley Park and House, aka the ‘Palace of Palaces’ is just a 10 minute walk from Osterley Park Station, which sits along the Piccadilly line. The building dates all the way back to the 1570s and inside you’ll find one of the greatest surviving examples of Robert Adam’s opulent neoclassical interiors. Outside, there are acres of parkland and formal gardens to explore. From May 22, there’ll be an exhibition showcasing vibrant Punjabi textiles from the Karun Thakar Collection.
Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Kent
Sissinghurst is home to one of Britain’s greatest gardens. The extraordinary landscape was created in the 1930s by writer Vita Sackville-West and diplomat Harold Nicolson and is most famous for its collection ‘garden rooms’ – 10 sections that each have their own distinct character. There’s Delos, which is inspired by the Greek island of the same name, The White Garden, which has a strict colour scheme of white, green, grey and silver and The Purple Border, which is packed with shades of purple blue, and magenta. Right now, the site is hosting an exhibition shining a light on Harold Nicolson’s diplomatic work in post-war Greece. It’s running until June 28.
Mottisfont, Hampshire
At Mottisfont, a 1930s country house near Romsey, you’ll wander through walled gardens, a world-famous rose collection (which holds over 1,000 roses) and a thirteenth century cellarium that featured in BBC’s Dracula. Between May 9 and August it’s hosting an exhibition full of work from Britain’s foremost printmakers, from Angie Lewin to Mark Hearld.
Petworth House and Park, West Sussex
Petworth House and Park is a masterpiece. The grand gardens, ornate Baroque-inspired architecture, resident fallow deer and excellent art collection make it easy to while away a whole day here. The art collection is, in fact, one of the finest in the National Trust’s care, with work from the likes of Van Dyck, Turner and Gainsborough. Later this year, the property is hosting ‘Expressions in Blue: Monumental Porcelain by Felicity Aylieff’ featuring towering sculptures dotted throughout the house and parklands.
Stowe Gardens, Buckinghamshire
There are 300 acres of designed landscaped gardens to frolic around at Stowe Gardens. Visitors can stroll through wooded valleys, pastures and open lawns with views, temples and sculptures to be found around practically every corner. This summer, they’ll provide a lovely backdrop to outdoor performances of As You Like It, Pirates of Penzance and King Arthur and the Holy Fail.
Cliveden House, Buckinghamshire
Surrounding Cliveden House, an italianate mansion that is now a luxury hotel (and so not open to National Trust visitors) is an abundant estate with 80 acres of gardens and majestic woodland to explore. Among its prettiest sights, there’s the geometric parterre, the Chinese inspired Water Garden, the Rose Garden and the newly redesigned Long Garden. It also sits along a particularly lovely part of the River Thames and you can take a trip on a skippered cruise or hire an electric boat, rowing boat or Canadian canoe to explore the water.
Polesden Lacey, Surrey
Tucked into the Surrey Hills, Polesden Lacey is a glamorous country retreat formerly home to Edwardian socialite Margaret Grenville. The orchard is a perfect place to settle down for a picnic and there’s a natural play area to keep the kids happily busy for several hours. In the spring, the property’s handsome gardens become even more beautiful as the welcome fragrant wisteria, lavender, irises and alliums.
Nymans, West Sussex
Flourishing gardens full of azaleas, rhododendrons, aliums and old ruins surround this medieval-style mansion. For the 100th anniversary of beloved bear Winne-the-Pooh, Nymans is setting up a garden trail of extracts from A.A Milne paired with E.H. Shepard’s iconic illustrations and putting on an exhibition spotlighting some of Pooh’s best-known adventures (on until May 31). In June, its hosting another exhibition that will explore the work of theatre designer Oliver Messel, who called Nymans his home as a child.
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