A Little Curiosity
Newhailes House outside Edinburgh is a late 17th-century mansion with 18th-century additions, partly by William Adam, that has barely changed since. But one of its baronets had a rather unusual side project: he served as chairman of the Scottish UFO Research Society. Which baronet was it? Answer at the end.
THE ONE TO SEE
Balvaird Castle, Perthshire
Photo source: David-D-Rankin, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Balvaird Castle has been closed to visitors for over a decade while conservation work was carried out, and it is now open again for guided tours. This is a late 15th-century tower house sitting in the Ochil Hills in Perthshire, the kind of place that feels genuinely remote even though it is not far from the M90. The roof walk alone is worth the trip. If you have been watching Outlander and want to see somewhere that actually looks the part rather than a dressed-up film set, this is it. The recent series Blood of My Blood was partly filmed here.
Four Worth the Drive
Rievaulx Terrace, North Yorkshire
Photo source: John Robinson, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Rievaulx Terrace is an 18th-century grass walk laid out along a ridge to frame views down to the abbey ruins below, and it has just reopened after restoration work. A joint ticket with Rievaulx Abbey is now available, which makes sense: the terrace was always designed to be seen together with the ruins. One of the more theatrical landscape experiences in Yorkshire, and genuinely hard to beat on a clear day.
Mellerstain House, Scottish Borders
Photo source: ArchaicW, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Robert Adam completed the central block at Mellerstain in 1778, linking wings his father William had begun decades earlier. The interiors are among the finest examples of his work anywhere in Britain, with ceilings so precisely detailed they look freshly painted. The Italian-styled terraced garden drops towards a lake, and the whole composition has a quality that even Adam's more famous commissions do not always manage. Guided tours run Friday to Monday at 11:30am and 2pm; adult admission is £18 for house and garden.
Caerphilly Castle, Wales
Photo source: CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Caerphilly is the largest castle in Wales and the second largest in Britain after Windsor, which most people do not know until they are standing in front of it wondering how they had never made the trip before. The Great Hall reopened last year after an £8 million refurbishment, and visitor numbers are now 20% above pre-pandemic levels as a result. Cadw describe its leaning tower as wonkier than the one in Pisa, which is either a conservation concern or an excellent selling point depending on how you look at it.
Standen House and Garden, West Sussex
Photo source: Andy Li, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Standen is an Arts and Crafts house built in the 1890s by Philip Webb with Morris & Co. furnishings still in place throughout. Just over an hour from central London, it is one of the better day trips from the city if you want something that repays proper attention. The garden terraces step down the hillside with views across the Weald, and in late July the borders are at their fullest.
Hidden Gem
Titsey Place, Oxted, Surrey
Illustration: AI artistic impression of Titsey Place
Titsey Place is a manor house that has been on the same site since the 16th century, with the current building generally dated to around 1775 and a walled kitchen garden that still produces fruit and vegetables. It holds a collection of family portraits that includes work by artists of genuine quality, and it is the kind of place where the house and the story behind it feel properly connected rather than staged for visitors. Most people driving through the Surrey Hills have never heard of it, which is part of the appeal.
AS SEEN ON SCREEN
Haddon Hall, Derbyshire
Photo source: Rob Bendall, attribution, via Wikimedia Commons
Haddon Hall is a remarkably complete medieval and Tudor manor house on a limestone ridge above the River Wye, with original great hall, chapel, long gallery, and terraced rose gardens intact. It has been continuously inhabited for over 800 years. That completeness is exactly what keeps bringing film crews back: Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, The Other Boleyn Girl, Mary Queen of Scots, and The Princess Bride have all been filmed here. The medieval fabric looks right on camera because it is the real thing, not a restoration or reconstruction. Open seasonally; check the website for current admission and visiting hours.
Coming Up…
Avebury, Wiltshire
On 28 July, the Festival of Archaeology comes to Avebury with hands-on excavations, activities, and specialist-led sessions running from 11am to 3pm. Part of the UK's largest annual archaeology celebration, organised with the Council for British Archaeology. The stone circle is free to walk regardless; the festival activities give it something extra worth timing a visit around.
Castell Coch, Cardiff
On 29 and 30 July, Castell Coch is running a Victorian Excavation event where you can handle medieval artefacts and learn basic archaeological techniques. The castle itself is a Victorian Gothic fantasy built by William Burges for the Marquess of Bute in the 1870s, with interiors so elaborately decorated they make most stately homes look restrained. Events run 11am to 3pm both days, part of Cadw's summer programme across Wales.
Stanstead Bury, Hertfordshire
On 5 August, Stanstead Bury is offering a guided tour of a house with Tudor origins: a half-timbered staircase that has survived since the 17th century, a historic walled garden, and a building that has grown and changed across several centuries without losing the thread of its history. These owner-led tours of smaller private houses tend to sell out, so worth booking ahead.
Worth Knowing
Historic Houses Membership
Historic Houses membership costs £71 a year and covers almost 300 independently owned properties that the National Trust and English Heritage do not include. Mellerstain and Titsey Place are both on the list. If you are visiting two or three of those in a year the membership pays for itself quickly, and you are also supporting houses that do not have the backing of a large organisation to keep them going.
A Little Curiosity: The Answer
It was Sir Mark Dalrymple, third baronet, who served as chairman of the Scottish UFO Research Society. Newhailes itself dates from 1686 and passed to the Dalrymple family in 1709, which makes the UFO connection one of the more unexpected footnotes in any Scottish country house history.
A Quick Question
We are fourteen issues in and continuing to plan what Hidden Britain covers next. It would help enormously to know what memberships you hold, so we can make sure we are featuring properties that are actually accessible to you.
Takes about a minute.
That is it for this week. If you make it to Balvaird, wear decent shoes for the roof walk and allow more time than you think you will need. The Ochil Hills have a way of keeping you longer than planned.
About Us
Rob & Ali
We are 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 are building something bigger behind the scenes, but for now this newsletter is our way of sharing what we find.
Hit reply if you have got a place we should know about.
Until next time,
Remembering the places that matter.