England is full of spectacular stately mansions which were built in a golden age as homes for the landed elite.
Today, their increasing maintenance costs means that most have either become museums, or are simply family homes open to the public on certain days of the year, so we can experience the architectural gems.
The National Trust maintains many of these properties for the public to enjoy, and organises various events and tours of some of their magnificent country houses and properties.
Those stately homes which are still privately owned are the real gems, as they all have that sense of still being a family home, with a distinct ‘lived-in’ feel to them. Many of these properties rely on the patronage of visitors in order to maintain their structure, preserve their collections of invaluable art and furnishing, and to ensure they are still standing for future generations to experience & understand the era of history they each represent.
