Historic Houses Association: My top 3 attractions

Something I always think gets overlooked is the amazing heritage industry, we have in the UK. I have been a long-time member of English Heritage, and have recently purchased a young person membership for the National Trust - so I'm certainly what you would call a dab hand at visiting these heritage places.

As there are so many of these memberships available, it can sometimes be hard to know which one to choose. Over the next couple of blog posts, I will be sharing with you my favourite 7 places from each of the main heritage industry memberships - and letting you know my thoughts on the membership.

So first up is the 'Historic Houses Association' - perhaps a membership you haven't heard much about. It offers yearly membership which allows you free entry in to some of the largest and most amazing privately-owned country estates in England. 

Because they are privately-owned, the amount of commercialisation within these places certainly differs - and don't go expecting to find the big shops and tea rooms at every place. However, the membership certainly offers a huge variety of houses; some of which are perhaps some of the absolute best this country has to offer. 

Membership for two adults starts at £86 or £55 for a single adult. When we purchased, we were able to get a discount with our English Heritage membership - making it just under £60 for us both. Whilst quite pricey to begin with, we soon made our money back (particularly as many of the houses are quite highly priced). Click to find out more about membership

One of the big drawbacks of HHA membership is their website- not particularly easy to navigate - and as this is the main source for discovering places to visit, it could really do with a refresh! The APP is much more navigable and easy-to-use. Make sure to check which places are free to HHA Friends on their website as the individual houses and their websites don't often mention HHA at all.

Anyway, on to the properties:

1. Blenheim Palace

Easily one of the grandest places to visit, and a real tourist attraction - being so close to London. I suggest you get here early to enjoy the beautiful gardens and a tour of the house without too many tourists getting in your way. We arrived before the house opened, and loved exploring the relatively empty courtyard.

 A stunning building with lots of amazing history - there are lots of information panels, and some guided tours being part of your admission ticket. You can also purchase more advanced tours if necessary for an extra fee. 

The State Rooms Tour was really interesting, and gave you a great background knowledge to your surroundings, and there were plenty of guides to ask questions to if need be.

We also did the 'Untold Story' exhibition, which if you're claustrophobic or don't like anomatronic wax figures this one isn't for you. The story is told through a series of 'scenes' with moving models and audio, interspersed with some rooms full of wall panels and artefacts. It is certainly an experience- with some 'scenes' being significantly better than others. It tells the story of the making of the palace and some more about the history of it. Well worth it - if even just for the hilarity of the strange wax models moving in extremely strange ways. 

2. Burghley House

Burghley Park was high on our list for a while, but we were blown away when we arrived. A gorgeous sunny day meant we could enjoy every aspect that this estate had to offer.

Inside, the house starts with a modern, interactive exhibition; giving you lots of details about the owners and artefacts of varying natures depending on the time of year you go. Atmospheric and interesting, it really started our tour of with a bang. 

Self-guided, the tour takes you round a variety of rooms, all exquisitely looked after. Information was available in all rooms, and allowed us to peruse at our pleasure. The best part by far however was the 'Heaven' room and 'Hell' staircase - both floor-to-ceiling murals that were astonishing and amazing to see in person. With so much detail, these alone were worth the visit.

Outside, the stunning architecture is clear to see - and is to be enjoyed from the spacious grounds. The 'garden of surprises' was truly that - full of water features that you could play in (just be sure to bring some spare clothes) and a variety of interesting sculptures, there were activities galore in the garden. We weren't surprised to find numerous families enjoying a day in the sunshine here, and wish we'd known to come prepared.

Stepping away from the garden, we then ventured in to the sculpture park. Every few yards, a new sculpture was to be discovered. A huge range, from very modern to pieces of art that looked like they'd been woven in to the nature were to be found. A very informative guide leaflet allowed us to make the most of the sculpture trail, and really made for a wonderful end to our visit.

After Burghley House, we made the trip into Stamford - a small town nearby. Well worth a visit seeing as you're in the neighbourhood and a great place to do a little shopping if the mood takes you. 

A real gem.

3.Woburn Abbey

Last but not least is Woburn Abbey. Having already visited the sculpture gallery as part of a work event, I already knew that the gardens were beautiful. But, after visiting, it was clear than the inside was just as gorgeous.

On entry, you drive through the gorgeous deer park, where you can appreciate the magnificent deers and the stunning landscape. The house itself soon becomes visible and offers a glimpse of the stately house, which certainly doesn't look like any abbey I have visited.

Entry to the house began with a room displaying some artefacts of the house, and introduced us to their temporary exhibition at the time - a collaboration with the local primary school. The children had been allowed to choose objects they wanted to display in the house, and provided a brief paragraph stating why. These objects were fascinating, and the reasons provided were extremely interesting. A great exhibition which really added to our visit.

The house itself was perhaps usual in its grandeur - unfortunately no photos are allowed to be taken inside, which makes for picturing the inside after a few months rather hard. However, the last room on the tour was so stunning I just had to break the rules. The 'grotto' as they call it, was completely different to anything else in the house - and really amazed me. 

Outside, the gardens are well-kept with some lovely Japanese influences. Not overly large, it is a lovely day out, especially in the summer sunshine. There were so many blooming flowers and reflective lakes to enjoy.

After our visit, we took a brief detour into the nearby village of 'Woburn Sands' - a gorgeous little village full of independent shops and cafes to eat. Just be warned - prices are rather steep.

We have visited several other HHA properties over the last year, but these were definitely our top three. Individually they would have cost:

Blenheim Palace - £26 each

Burghley House - £19 each on the day (£16.50 in advance)

Woburn Abbey - £17 each

Altogether for the two of us, we would have paid £119 (Paying in advance at Burghley House) and our membership for the both of us to HHA for the year was just under £60 and we've been to more than just these three - it's clear to see you get value for money!

Other places that come highly recommended, and remain on my list to visit include:

Chatsworth - Now offering £10 entry once a year to HHA members and free access to their garden.

Castle Howard - Once a year, free access to the house and gardens.

Highclere Castle - Of famed Downton Abbey. Easily helps make your membership fee back!

Belvoir Castle - Stunning looking - this could be a real gem. 

When choosing your membership, always make sure to find out what is nearby - it makes using your membership so much easier. Although, they do make a good focus for a weekend break.

Have you visited any Historic Houses properties? Where would you recommend?