Claydon House

Home to the Verney family since 1620 and demolished and rebuilt twice, Claydon House is prized for the 18th-century Rococo interiors carved by Luke Lightfoot, from the Chinese Room to the Grand Stairs, with historic costume shown along the route. Florence Nightingale was a regular guest after her sister Parthenope married Sir Harry Verney in 1858, and her bedroom upstairs holds her letters and belongings. A second-hand bookshop and reading room sit on the visitor route, and the courtyard cafe, the Phoenix Kitchen, is run by the Claydon Estate, not the Trust. The garden is entered only through the house; dogs on leads are welcome on the South Lawn, West Terrace and courtyard but not inside. Reviewers describe a quieter, smaller property with friendly, knowledgeable guides and single out the staircase. The car park is mostly grass, and a virtual tour covers the upper floors for anyone who cannot manage the stairs.