Kedleston Hall

Kedleston Hall is Robert Adam's neoclassical showpiece, built in the 1760s for Nathaniel Curzon less as a family home than as a palace for entertaining and showing off his collections, and the Curzons still live in a private wing. The Marble Hall, with its twenty alabaster columns and skylit ceiling, opens onto state rooms of Adam furniture and Old Master paintings, while the Eastern Museum holds the treasures Lord Curzon brought back as Viceroy of India. Beside the house stands All Saints church, older than the hall and the only survivor of the medieval village Curzon moved out of sight, with the family tombs inside. Adam's bridge gives the classic first view across the lake, and 800 acres of parkland offer waymarked walks; dogs on leads are welcome in gardens and park. Reviewers praise the room guides, the quick and good cafe by the entrance, and the shaded parking. Tips from visitors: there are no printed maps, so photograph the one at reception, and arrive early for quieter rooms.