Manor House search
 

Visiting England mid-Sept. One wk in London, one wk in Cotswolds. Elderly mum accompanying. She would like to visit/tour a manor house of the sort described in the many Agatha Christie mysteries she has read. Does any one have any ideas where to find such a place?

Two places come to mind--I don't know if these are what your mum has in mind though. <BR>One is Cliveden, a former private home that belonged to the Astors, now converted to a hotel. Pricey I believe. <BR>Another is to do a daytrip via BritRail to York, and take the bus trip to Castle Howard. When I went Britrail had a package that included Castle Howard. Castle Howard was the model for Brideshead in the novel and film of Brideshead Revisited. It is beautiful, as are the grounds. <BR>Third, closer to London and the Cotswolds, is Blenheim Palace. Former and current home of the Duke of Marlborough. Winston Churchill was born there. Gorgeous. Easy daytrip from London or the Cotswolds by train or bus.

Are you thinking about large houses or small ones? Close to the Cotswolds, Dyrham Park is a nice medium-sized house that belongs to the National Trust. If you saw "Remains of the Day", it was used for the shots of the outside of the house.

A couple of other thoughts: <BR> <BR>1. A ways north in Derbyshire, Calke Abbey is a fascinating National Trust mansion that was used in the "Mystery" production of Agatha Christie's "Nemesis". <BR> <BR>2. If you can get down as far as Torquay, there is a mansion called Torre Abbey. Besides being a house that you can tour, it has an Agatha Christie museum. She was born near by, and was baptised in All Saints Torre church in Torquay.

Thank you all for the ideas. I will certainly add them to my GROWING list of places we want to see. I was thinking more along the lines of medium to small houses and think your ideas just great. :):)

There is a delightfully wonderful hotel in Upper Slaughter, about five miles from Stow-on-the-Wold, in the cotswolds named Lord Of The Manor. It was once a fine house belonging to the church. It is pricey, about $230/night, but has a very cozy bar and excellent restaurant. If you do not stay there, it would be a nice place to visit. They also have walks through the sheep pastures to Lower Slaughter, about a mile away. On that walk you will pass a fine manor house, but unfortunately, it is private.

One last one: Chavenage House, a nice Cotswold stone manor house near Tetbury, Gloucestershire. Used for filming of "Mysterious Affair at Styles".

I have stayed at Lord of the Manor, in Upper Slaughter, in the Cotswolds for one night 5 years ago and can report that it was totally wonderful. Right out of some British set. Waiters dressed in black tie and tails came out to offer beverages on the lawn. Sheep grazing in the fields, a pond, a drawing room for pre dinner refreshments and a very lovely dining experience. It was especially magical as there was a power outage 3/4 of the way through dinner and the entire Manor was then lit by candle light. The guest rooms have lovely chintz fabrics with lace curtains. A tray of fresh fruit and a decanter of sherry are waiting on the dresser when you are brought to your room. What can I say. <BR>It was quiite pricey and if I remeber correctly it cost more then $230 a night, but definetley an experience to remember And so I have.

Jodi, <BR>The Calcot Manor near Tetbury was one of the most charming places that we stayed and the food was exceptional. We were there in 1989, however I believe that the same family still own the manor and that it has a website at www.calcotmanor.com <BR>