A Little Curiosity
A sword believed to be around 200 years old was pulled from the lake at Chiddingstone Castle in Kent after a summer drought dropped the water level low enough to expose it. Nobody knows for certain how it got there. How long is the sword? Answer at the end.
THE ONE TO SEE
Hidden Cupboard Finally Opened at Castell Coch
Photo source: Libera~commonswiki, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Castell Coch was built from 1875 by William Burges for the third Marquess of Bute, and it is one of the most thoroughly designed Victorian Gothic interiors in Britain, right down to the painted ceilings and hand-carved furniture. The castle takes its name from the Welsh for Red Castle, and that red has always been central to its identity — but over 135 years of repainting, the colour gradually drifted from what Burges originally intended.
Cadw's conservation team have now traced it back. Working from paint samples dating to the 1880s, they identified the original shade and produced a new paint called Castell Coch Red 2025, which will be used for all future external redecoration. It is a small thing on the face of it, but it means that when you visit now, the red on the windows, doors and shutters is closer to Burges's own vision than it has been since the Victorian era. Worth going now while staff are talking about it.
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Four Worth the Drive
Robert Smail's Printing Works, Innerleithen
Artistic Illustration: Land & Legacy
Robert Smail's in Innerleithen has been a working printing business since 1866, and the National Trust for Scotland has kept it that way. The Victorian machinery is operational, the original typefaces and hand-setting equipment are still in use, and this year the works is marking its 160th anniversary with the restoration of a rare Falcon Safety Platen Press that is now back in production for the first time in a decade. You can watch the whole process running as it would have done in the 1890s, which is a different experience from the usual heritage site visit. The Scottish Borders don't get nearly enough attention as a day-out destination, and this is one of the better reasons to make the drive.
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Pedro de Mena: Sculpting the Sacred, Bishop Auckland
Artistic Illustration: Land & Legacy
Pedro de Mena was one of the great Spanish sculptors of the 17th century, and three of his works are now on display at the Spanish Gallery in Bishop Auckland, running until January 2027. His figures are carved in wood and painted with extraordinary precision, the kind of work that stops you in the room. Bishop Auckland is already worth the trip for the Spanish Gallery alone, and this exhibition gives you a specific reason to go now rather than filing it under one day.
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Dinefwr, Llandeilo
Photo source: Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The dry summer has uncovered features at Dinefwr that were previously invisible under the grass, crop mark-style outlines of earlier structures showing through the parched ground. The National Trust estate in Carmarthenshire sits around a medieval castle and an 18th-century deer park, and it is one of those Welsh properties that doesn't get nearly the attention it deserves. The landscape itself has a long history going back to the Welsh princes, and right now there's an extra layer of it showing.
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Holnicote Estate, Somerset
Artistic Illustration: Land & Legacy
Most of Somerset has looked pretty rough this summer, but Holnicote on Exmoor has stayed green because of the river restoration work the National Trust has been doing there over the past few years. They have been slowing the water down and letting it spread across the valley floor, and it shows. The estate covers around 12,000 acres between Dunkery Beacon and the Bristol Channel, with a good network of walking routes. If you want to see what thoughtful land management actually looks like on the ground, this is a useful place to visit.
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Hidden Gem
Mentmore Towers, Buckinghamshire
Photo source: Alex from The Chiltern Hills, England, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Mentmore Towers was designed by Joseph Paxton between 1852 and 1854 for Baron Mayer Amschel de Rothschild, using the same iron and plate glass construction he had pioneered at the Crystal Palace three years earlier. It is Grade I listed, it has been on Historic England's at-risk register for years, and Buckinghamshire Council served a formal repair notice on the current owners on 4 August 2026, giving them two months to demonstrate the works are progressing or face compulsory acquisition. You can't go inside, but the exterior is visible and the story of what has happened to the building since the contents were auctioned off in 1977 — the government declined to buy it for £2 million — is one of the more dispiriting episodes in British heritage. Worth knowing about, and worth watching as the repair order takes effect.
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As Seen on Screen
Castle Ward, County Down
Artistic Illustration: Land & Legacy
Castle Ward sits on the southern shore of Strangford Lough in County Down, and it has two faces in the most literal sense: the entrance front is Classical Georgian and the garden front is Gothic, built simultaneously in the 1760s because the owner and his wife could not agree on a style. They eventually separated, which may explain a lot.
Game of Thrones viewers will know it as Winterfell. The farmyard and surrounding grounds stood in for the Stark family seat in the first series, with further scenes filmed there in the second, and the National Trust now runs dedicated Game of Thrones tours of the site. The estate also has a Victorian laundry, a restored corn mill, and a walled garden, all of which predate Westeros by some margin and are worth your time regardless of whether you have watched a single episode.
Plan your visit → and see which other heritage sites are along the route
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Coming Up…
Gloucester History Festival at Blackfriars Priory
Blackfriars Priory in Gloucester is one of the most complete surviving Dominican friaries in England, and from 11 to 20 September it becomes the centrepiece of the Gloucester History Festival. Over 100 events are spread across the ten days, with speakers including Tony Robinson and Caroline Quentin. The priory itself rarely gets the attention it deserves as a building; the festival is a good reason to go and spend time in it properly. Free and ticketed events, with many of the popular talks booking up quickly.
Kelso Abbey, Scottish Borders
Kelso Abbey has reopened after five years of conservation work, and it is worth going now while the restoration is fresh. Founded in 1128 and described as one of the most spectacular architectural achievements in medieval Scotland, the abbey was largely destroyed during the Border Wars and subsequent English raids. What remains is still extraordinary: the massive Romanesque west facade in particular. Historic Environment Scotland manages the site, and the First Minister attended the reopening ceremony, which tells you something about its significance. Free to visit.
Arley Outdoor Cinema, Cheshire
On 18 and 19 September 2026, Arley Hall and Gardens is hosting an outdoor cinema weekend with screenings of Dirty Dancing, Mamma Mia!, and Star Wars: A New Hope. The walled gardens at Arley are among the best in the north-west, and watching a film there after dark is a considerably better use of the setting than most things you could do with it. Tickets sell out for these events, so book ahead.
Worth Knowing
September Open Days
September is the best month in the calendar for seeing places that are usually closed or ticketed. In England, Heritage Open Days runs from 11 to 20 September 2026 and is entirely free. In Wales, Cadw's Open Doors programme offers free entry, guided tours, and events at more than 200 sites during September. Scotland's Doors Open Days is a free national festival running across all 32 council areas. Northern Ireland's European Heritage Open Days falls on 12 and 13 September 2026. Tours at popular sites fill up quickly. Book as soon as listings go live.
A Little Curiosity: The Answer
The sword is reportedly around 90cm long, though this has not been officially confirmed. Its origins remain unclear, with theories ranging from Victorian bandsmen to a local ghost story about a soldier falling into the lake. The castle's curator has contacted museums and experts and is searching the archives for clues.
That's it for this week. If you're heading to Castell Coch, allow time for the painted interiors upstairs: they're what Burges was really showing off, and they repay a slow look.
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.