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Places with great love stories
Many of the places we care for have histories entwined with tales of passion and heartbreak. From royal courtship, to a poem etched into a window and a cache of First World War love letters – here are some of the ones we think are most romantic.
Winter house closures
Some of the places in our care close over the winter months so we can carry out vital conservation work. Please check individual place web pages for up-to-date information on opening times before you visit.
- Claremont Landscape Garden, Surrey
- Princess Charlotte was heir to the throne of England, but her death at the age of 21 meant that Victoria became queen instead. Claremont was given to Charlotte as a wedding present in 1816. It’s where she spent some of her happiest days, walking hand in hand with her husband Prince Leopold.Visit Claremont Landscape Garden
- Erddig, Wrexham
- This 18th-century country house is set in a landscaped park and has been the setting for romance. A tale of ‘life below stairs’ is captured at Erddig, involving Lucy Hitchman and Ernest Jones, who worked there just before the First World War. The pair fell in love and took strolls around the park together on their afternoons off.Visit Erddig
- Felbrigg Hall, Norfolk
- If you look closely at the windows in the butler's pantry at Felbrigg Hall, you might be able to see the love poem etched into one of the panes of glass. Dating back to around 1735, it was written by Benjamin Stillingfleet, William Windham II's tutor. The poem was in praise of Anne Barnes, a local beauty he’d fallen in love with.Visit Felbrigg Hall
- The Hardmans' House, Liverpool
- Renowned portrait and landscape photographer Edward Chambré Hardman lived and worked at 59 Rodney Street in Liverpool for 40 years. Although he was better-known, his wife Margaret was a gifted photographer in her own right. They made the perfect match and their shared passion for photography drove the business and gave them many happy years together.Visit the Hardmans’ House
- Hill Top, Lake District
- Hill Top was one of the first places Beatrix Potter bought in the Lake District. It became her writing retreat and the purchase inspired her to acquire more local farms to protect them from development. This led her to the offices of local solicitor William Heelis. The initial meeting eventually led to their marriage in 1913, and they lived together for 30 happy years.Visit Hill Top
- Hughenden, Buckinghamshire
- Benjamin Disraeli’s wife, Mary Anne, trapped her finger in the carriage door when she accompanied the Victorian Prime Minister to an important speech. To avoid distracting him from the job at hand, she kept quiet. Later, when Disraeli found out, he had the carriage door displayed on the wall at Hughenden, as a sign of the strength of their love. It can still be seen in the servants' corridor.Visit Hughenden
- Ickworth, Suffolk
- The Hervey family of Ickworth had a strong romantic streak. Many of the books in the library contain inscriptions showing Sir Thomas and Isabella Hervey’s devotion to each other. Two hundred years later, Frederick Hervey and Theodora Wythes defied their family’s wishes in order to be together. It's said they fell in love while sharing a plate of macaroons.Visit Ickworth
- Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Kent
- Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson bought Sissinghurst in 1930, and dedicated themselves to making it their home. Their open marriage saw both embark on various same-sex relationships (including in Vita's case, Virginia Woolf). Despite this, their letters to each other show the genuine and loving partnership they had.Visit Sissinghurst Castle Garden
- Stourhead, Wiltshire
- Sir Henry Hoare was 29 when he inherited Stourhead in 1894. He and his wife Alda devoted themselves to the care and repair of the house, after a devastating fire in 1902, for just over 50 years. They died in their 80s, within six hours of one another. Sadly, their only child Harry was killed during the First World War.Visit Stourhead
- Waddesdon, Buckinghamshire
- Evidence of a wartime romance was found at Waddesdon – a French Renaissance-style château, set amid the Buckinghamshire countryside. During the refurbishment of the Five Arrows Hotel on the estate in 2016, a cache of 100 love letters was found. They'd been sent by a teenage First World War soldier to the landlord’s daughter and had lain undisturbed for almost 100 years.Visit Waddesdon
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