A Little Curiosity
Glamis Castle in Angus is said to be the most haunted castle in Scotland, with more than a dozen recorded ghosts, but one of its most intriguing features is a room that was supposedly sealed up centuries ago and never reopened. How many rooms does the castle have in total? Answer at the end.
THE ONE TO SEE
Photo: Trebah Garden by Jürgen Regel, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Trebah Garden, Mawnan Smith, Cornwall
Trebah runs steeply down a Cornish valley to a private beach on the Helford River, which already makes it worth the trip.
But on 21 and 22 May, the garden turns into the setting for a promenade murder mystery: the audience moves through the grounds as the story unfolds around them.
It's an immersive evening event, and the combination of subtropical planting, low light, and a whodunnit plot is genuinely hard to replicate anywhere else.
Book ahead, these sell out.
Four worth the drive
Photo: Powis Castle, Land & Legacy.
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Powis Castle, Welshpool, Wales
The terraced gardens at Powis Castle are one of the few surviving examples in Britain of a late 17th-century Italian-style layout, cut into a steep hillside above the Severn valley. The yew hedges here are enormous, some of them over 300 years old and shaped into forms that look more geological than botanical. The castle itself has one of the finest collections of Asian artefacts in the UK, brought back by Clive of India's family who owned the estate. And if that isn’t enough the scale of the rooms will take your breath away. Worth a full day.
Photo: Birmingham Back to Backs by Tony Hisgett, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Birmingham Back to Backs, West Midlands
These are the last surviving court of back-to-back houses in Birmingham, and the National Trust has restored them to show four different periods of occupation from the 1840s through to the 1970s. Each house is tiny, the rooms barely bigger than a large wardrobe, and that's the point. You go through guided tours only, which keeps numbers small and the experience properly immersive. It's one of the few heritage sites in the country that tells the story of genuinely poor urban life rather than the wealthy households that dominate the sector.
Photo: Godinton House by W.N. Toke Coleman, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Godinton House & Gardens, Ashford, Kent
Godinton has been in near-continuous occupation since the 14th century, and the Jacobean facade you see today dates from around 1628. The guided tours here are the reason to come: they go properly deep into the house's 600-year history, through rooms packed with furniture and art that have barely moved in generations. The 12 acres of gardens, including a walled garden, is one of the best in Kent, with a formal topiary garden and a wild garden that contrast sharply with each other. Not widely known outside the county, which means it's rarely crowded.
Photo: Colby Woodland Garden by PJMarriott, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Colby Woodland Garden, Pembrokeshire, Wales
Colby sits at the end of a narrow valley near Amroth, and the woodland garden runs along a stream through steep-sided oak woodland. The bluebells here have just been named the best bluebell walk in Pembrokeshire, and if you're planning to go for that reason, the window is closing fast. Beyond the bluebells, the walled garden is worth seeing in its own right, and the valley walk is genuinely lovely at any point in late spring. It's a National Trust property but far less visited than the big coastal sites nearby.
Hidden Gem
Photo: Farringford House by Ian Capper, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Farringford, Isle of Wight
Tennyson first came to Farringford in 1853, renting the house to escape the attention that came with being Poet Laureate, and bought it three years later.
He wrote some of his best-known work here, including "The Charge of the Light Brigade", and the house retains much of the atmosphere he was after: secluded, wooded, looking out across Freshwater Bay.
After years as a hotel, the house has been restored and reopened to the public, with rooms that still feel genuinely lived-in rather than museumified. The gardens are lovely in May, and the chalk downland walks above the house are free to anyone.
Worth combining with a day on the western end of the island, which most visitors never reach.
As Seen On Screen
🎞️
(Large and Small)
Photo: Dyrham House by Peter Hurford, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Dyrham Park, Near Bath, South Gloucestershire
Dyrham Park is a late 17th-century baroque mansion set within an ancient deer park on the edge of the Cotswolds, about eight miles north of Bath.
The house was built for William Blathwayt, Secretary of State to William III, and the interiors have changed remarkably little since. The Gilt Leather Parlour, Great Hall, and state rooms retain much of their original character.
It appeared as Sanditon House in the 2019 ITV adaptation of Jane Austen's unfinished novel, standing in as Lady Denham's grand residence, and the house and grounds were also used in The Pursuit of Love (2021) for the Alconleigh ballroom scenes.
The deer park is one of the oldest in England and free to walk regardless of whether you visit the house.
Worth combining with a day in Bath if you're in the area.
Coming Up…
Middleton Hall & Gardens, Civil War Re-enactment - Staffordshire, B78 · Independent
TIME SENSITIVE: Event taking place on 23rd and 24th May.
Middleton Hall is a medieval manor house near Tamworth with a history stretching back to the 13th century. On 23 and 24 May (11am–4pm), living history re-enactors bring the English Civil War to the grounds, with authentic cooking displays, period activities, and plenty for families. Tickets are on sale now.
Plan your visit.
Elveden Hall, Stories Of Guiness - Suffolk, IP24 · Independent
One of Suffolk's most extraordinary buildings -- an Indian-inspired palace built for the Maharajah Duleep Singh in the 1860s and later expanded by the Guinness family into something even more extravagant. The Marble Hall at its centre is genuinely jaw-dropping: a domed interior decorated with carved Indian motifs that has no real equivalent in England. On 13 June the hall opens for Stories of Guinness, an event exploring the family's history through architecture, literature, and music. Tickets will be limited. Worth booking as soon as they go live.
Plan your visit.
Houghton Hall Skyspace Evenings, Norfolk - Norfolk, PE31 · Independent
Houghton Hall in Norfolk houses James Turrell's permanent Skyspace installation, a chamber where the aperture in the roof frames the sky and the changing light becomes the spectacle. Evening sessions on 21 May include guided insights and hospitality, making it a genuinely unusual night out. Houghton's Palladian house and walled garden are also open during the day if you want to make a full visit of it.
Plan your visit.
Worth Knowing
Cross-Border Benefits
National Trust membership is better value than many members realise. Your card gets you free entry to National Trust for Scotland properties too. More than 100 sites including Culzean Castle, Craigievar Castle, and Brodick Castle on the Isle of Arran.
A National Trust for Scotland membership works the same way in reverse, covering all 500-plus National Trust properties across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
One membership, both sides of the border. Worth knowing!
A Little Curiosity: The Answer
Glamis Castle has around 90 rooms in total, spread across its towers and wings. The sealed room legend has circulated since at least the 18th century, with various theories about what it contains, though the family have consistently declined to confirm or deny it.
That's it for this week. If you're heading to Trebah for the murder mystery, arrive early enough to walk the valley down to the beach first. The garden is the whole point.
About Us
Rob & Ali
We're Rob and Ali, two heritage enthusiasts who got tired of spending more time researching days out than actually enjoying them. Land & Legacy is our answer: a curated guide to the heritage experiences worth your time.
We're building something bigger behind the scenes, but for now this newsletter is our way of sharing what we find.
Hit reply if you've got a place we should know about.
Until next time,
Remembering the places that matter.