Stowe House Oxford & The Cotswolds

Neoclassical Stowe House, home to the Temple-Grenville family when they created Stowe Gardens, now houses an exclusive private school. Mere mortals can visit its eight state rooms on 15- to 45-minute guided tours that take place on most but not all days (check the website for current schedule and bookings). The rooms are now bare, the Temple-Grenvilles having sold the entire contents to stave off bankruptcy, but the sheer scale and ornamentation of the place remains highly impressive. Outside sprawl the majestic Stowe Gardens, designed by some of the country's most prominent 18th-century landscape gardeners.