Wilton House

While his forbearers would have spluttered into their claret at the idea of public access to their stately home, the current earl of Pembroke welcomes visitors to this Palladian residence by 17th century star architect Inigo Jones. You can wander at leisure through magnificent rooms decorated with antiquities and Old Masters by the likes of Rembrandt and Brueghel – the Double Cube room found fame as the ballroom in 1995 Jane Austen movie Sense and Sensibility. Then head outside to discover follies in grounds that are landscaped in the style of ‘Capability’ Brown. Kids may prefer their small Adventure Playground or restaurant with ice creams.