Canons Ashby

Canons Ashby is an Elizabethan manor house that the Dryden family built from the remains of a medieval priory and left largely unaltered after 1710; it is shown today as it was in Victorian times. Inside are Jacobean plasterwork, tapestries and grand rooms set against the plain servants' quarters; outside, St Mary's church survives from the 13th-century priory alongside an 18th-century terraced garden of flowers, fruit and vegetables, parkland with restored medieval stew ponds (guided visits only) and a Wild Play Corner for children. A short 0.6-mile parkland walk starts from the car park. Dogs on short leads are welcome everywhere outdoors except that play area. Reviewers praise the welcoming, knowledgeable room guides, the well-kept gardens and the Stables tea-room's cakes and ice cream. Tips from regulars: the car park is 200 yards from the house with a driver-assisted buggy on hand, the grass overflow car park closes when wet so busy days fill early, and HS2 roadworks mean allowing extra time on the approach roads.