Dunham Massey

Dunham Massey is a Georgian house on the edge of Altrincham, home of the Booth and Grey families, whose Huguenot silver, paintings and porcelain fill the state rooms; the last of them, Roger Grey, invited Emperor Haile Selassie here in 1936 and the friendship lasted a lifetime. The house sits inside a moat at the heart of a 300-acre medieval deer park where fallow deer roam unfenced among ancient trees, and the water-powered mill, the oldest building on the estate, opens for tours. The gardens run from the Rose Garden in summer to one of the largest winter gardens in the country. A waymarked 2-mile wellbeing nature walk runs through the parkland. Reviewers love watching the deer up close, the well-kept gardens and the knowledgeable staff. Tips from visitors: the house opens only from spring to autumn, dogs may enter the gardens from midday on a short lead and the Trust suggests the North Park for more space, and the car park is quietest early in the day. Mobile signal is poor, so arrange taxis before you go.