Croome, near Worcester, was the first major landscape commission for a young Lancelot 'Capability' Brown, who remodelled the park for the 6th Earl of Coventry from the 1750s, with Robert Adam working on the interiors of Croome Court. Two centuries later the park hid RAF Defford, a secret wartime radar research base, whose story is told in the RAF museum beside the visitor centre. Highlights are the tree-shaded walk up to the Rotunda and down to the Court, the church, the lake and its island pavilion, the Panorama Tower with views to the Malvern Hills, and a natural play area and RAF-themed playground for children. Reviewers praise the knowledgeable room guides and the museum, and note that the house is still being restored, so several rooms are sparsely furnished. Tips from visitors: a shuttle buggy runs between the visitor centre and the house for anyone wanting to skip the hill, dogs on leads are welcome in the parkland but not the house or museum, and cyclists get in free.
