Stories

Mansion houses with layers of history, a Tudor home in the heart of Hackney, modernist treasures and even a house designed by William Morris. All with good transport links in and around London. Where will you begin?

If you're a Jane Austen fan, the names of the settings in her stories are as readily recognizable as those of her characters. Ever wished to take a peek inside Netherfield, or admire Pemberley from across the lake? It's easier to follow in the footsteps of Lizzie and Darcy or Elinor and Marianne than you might think. Here's our pick of National Trust places that have starred in adaptations of Austen's novels.

Explore Dyrham Park, one of the main film locations for Jane Austen's Sanditon

The colossal marble fireplace at Cragside designed for royalty is to be saved from water damage by conservator’s work

The last surviving windmill on the Isle of Wight has been restored by the National Trust to its appearance when it was captured in watercolor by J.M.W. Turner in 1795. New sails have been fitted to the 300-year-old structure.

Join Bettany Hugh on a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Avebury in Wiltshire. Here the largest prehistoric stone circle in the world stands at the center of one of the greatest concentrations of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in Western Europe and holds vital clues to story of Britain, and its relationship to the wider world.

Upton House in Warwickshire was one of four houses owned by Walter Samuel, the 2nd Lord Bearsted, who was one of the richest men in Britain before the Second World War. When he bought this estate in 1927 it satisfied all those favourite pre-war pursuits for the well-heeled British, but there is more to this house, and its former owner, than meets the eye.

At Kingston Lacy in Dorset, Bettany Hughes meets House Steward Bernie King to learn about William John Bankes who, during the 19th Century, turned Kingston Lacy into the treasure trove you’ll find today. This extraordinary house is a testament to Bankes’ obsession for exploring and collecting in Europe and beyond.

Archaeologist discovers thousands of rare items under the floor of a Tudor house

A brooding, lonely building lost in the quiet of the far North of England near the sea is a fitting place to discover a large winter roost of bats