Treasure hunting - hidden treasures of the National Trust

You don’t need to dig too deep – or drive too far – to discover National Trust gems. There are jewels in every corner of the kingdom…

 

There are two ways to experience the hidden treasures of the National Trust. One involves the TV, your sofa and a mounting sense of “We really should go”. The other involves actually going – abandoning the vicarious thrill of watching conservators coax life back into a Tudor tapestry, and embracing the pleasures of the real thing: gravel crunching underfoot, the ecclesiastical hush of a big house, the smell of mown croquet lawn, tea and cake.

 

 

With a new series prompting fresh armchair wanderlust, consider this your nudge off the cushions and into the car. Here are six of the National Trust’s finest – best enjoyed first-hand.

 

RUINS AND ROCOCO DRAMA  

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden, near Ripon

 

If you like your beauty with theatrical flourish, this North Yorkshire double act delivers dramatically. The abbey – a vast, honeyed skeleton of a Cistercian monastery – is the brooding star, all soaring arches and sky-framed windows. But it’s the 18th-century water garden that makes the scene: a carefully composed landscape of lakes, follies and sight lines designed to make you gasp on cue.

 

One minute you’re strolling through polite greenery, the next, a Gothic tower appears like a stage reveal. Allow time to roam beyond the highlights reel: the parkland is a whole sub-plot of hidden temples and impressively-horned deer.

 

THE PERFECT ENGLISH WALK  

Stourhead, Wiltshire

 

Stourhead didn’t get this pretty by accident. Created in the 18th century to be “a living work of art”, it throws in everything that was then thought beautiful – and it somehow works. Its circular walks take you past columned follies, a Palladian Bridge and a lake that seems to understand flattering light better than most photographers.

 

And knowing that its Temple of Flora, Temple of Apollo and Pantheon are as authentically Greco-Roman as an iPhone doesn’t detract from their gorgeous looks. The house’s interiors are relatively restrained, which gives both the objects and architecture room to breathe, but don’t worry if history’s not your cup of Earl Grey: in summer there are open-air films shown in those glorious gardens come sundown.

 

BAROQUE AND ROLL  

Powis Castle and Garden, near Welshpool

 

Some gardens whisper soothingly. Powis clears its throat and announces itself. Rising above the Severn Valley, its Italianate terraces tumble down the hillside in a series of 30ft-tall yews, blazing borders and improbable geometry.

 

The topiary alone is worth the trip, but then there’s a castle – and a proper one, too, looking every bit of its 800-odd years old. Inside, it’s a mix of grandeur and eccentricity, including a notable collection linked to Britain’s imperial past. But it’s the combined effect that counts: house and garden fuse to give a slightly dizzying sense of order imposed on what was once a wild Welsh hillside.

 

 

 

JACOBEAN GRANDEUR  

Blickling Estate, Norfolk

 

Blickling has the sort of façade that suggests it has always known exactly what it’s doing: red-brick Jacobean symmetry, towers and gables arranged with almost indecent confidence. Inside, the tone shifts to something more introspective – august corridors, panelled rooms and one of the Trust’s most impressive libraries, its shelves running to some 13,000 volumes.

 

There’s history here, too, with Anne Boleyn traditionally (if debatably) associated with the site, and a museum about the property’s vital wartime RAF work. But what lingers is the sense of scale held just in check: grand but not overwhelming. Outside, the estate relaxes into parkland and gardens, as if to remind you it can do both.

 

LUSH IN A COLD CLIMATE  

Mount Stewart, County Down

 

On the shores of Strangford Lough, Mount Stewart feels like it’s operating under different rules, partly thanks to a mild microclimate that allows plants to flourish with near-exotic enthusiasm. The result is a garden of vivid surprises: formal layouts loosened by exuberant planting, statues peering through greenery, bursts of colour that feel almost tropical.

 

The house itself has a lived-in, characterful charm, but it’s the grounds that steal the show, inviting you to meander rather than march. There’s a sense of curiosity about the place, as if it’s always trying something new. You leave with muddy shoes, a camera full of colour – and a quiet suspicion that Northern Ireland has been keeping secrets.

 

GLASS, LIGHT, AMBITION  

Hardwick, near Chesterfield

 

“Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall” runs the old rhyme – and it’s not a bad description. Built by the formidable Bess of Hardwick in the 1590s, this is a house that feels startlingly modern: vast windows, bright interiors, a sense of space that manages to shrug off its Tudor bones.

 

The Long Gallery seems to stretch on for about 400 years; the tapestries murmur of power and wealth. Outside, the Derbyshire views roll away in soft greens and greys. There’s a pleasing clarity to the whole experience – no clutter, no gloom, just light, ambition and a faint sense that Bess would be quietly pleased that you’ve noticed.

 

Hidden Treasures

of the National Trust

Friday 9.00pm BBC Two