Grantham House

Grantham House is a 14th-century town house on Castlegate in the middle of Grantham, its green wooden gates opening onto five acres of garden that run down through a walled garden, woodland and a lower meadow to the River Witham. The National Trust opens it free of charge, and the offer is more community hub than country house: only the ground floor is shown, where the cafe with its indoor and outdoor seating and a second-hand bookshop occupy the old rooms, while the upper floors are reached only on volunteer-led history talks tracing the people who lived here from the 15th century onwards. A market fills the courtyard and gardens once a month with local crafts and food, and families are welcome to play games in the meadow. Dogs on short leads are welcome on the ground floor, including the cafe, and throughout the gardens. Reviewers praise the cafe's coffee and cake, the peaceful gardens with level gravel paths that suit wheelchairs, and the friendly volunteers. Tips from visitors: there is no visitor car park and nearby street parking is limited, so use the town car parks, and the accessible spaces by the entrance must be booked ahead.