Sunnycroft

Sunnycroft is a red-brick Victorian suburban villa on the Holyhead Road in Wellington, built for the brewer J. G. Wackrill in 1879 and enlarged in 1899 by the wine and spirit merchant Mary Jane Slaney, who added the billiard and dining rooms. The Lander family bought it in 1912 and changed little beyond installing electricity, so when Joan Lander bequeathed it to the National Trust in 1997 it came with its Maw's tiled Staircase Hall, original wallpapers and gas lamps, and more than 12,000 everyday objects. Outside is a five-acre estate in miniature: an avenue of Wellingtonias, an orchard, lawns and the Grade II listed Halliday conservatory, recently restored. Reviewers describe a house that feels as if the owners had just stepped out, and praise the knowledgeable guides. Tips from visitors: it opens only on selected dates and visits must be pre-booked, and there is no cafe, just a tuck shop. The garden is level, but there is no step-free access into the villa.