Historic Houses

Historic Houses is the association that represents over 1,400 important historic houses and gardens across the UK.

Our member places are a diverse collection of some of the finest historic landscapes to be seen in the British Isles. They include the likes of Castle Howard in Yorkshire, Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire, and Hever Castle in Kent.

The distinguishing feature of our member places is that they are all in independent ownership. Some operate as charities, such as Wentworth Woodhouse in Yorkshire. But the majority remain as privately owned, lived-in family homes.

A crucial feature of historic houses in the UK is that they are an ensemble. The house, the collection, and the wider landscape are all crucial components in the country house experience.
At Historic Houses we seek to ensure the long-term protection of all aspects of this heritage. We do this by offering support and technical advice to our member properties, by promoting their public offers (as visitor attractions, accommodation providers, or events venues), and by representing the cause of independent heritage to politicians, officials and opinion formers.
We are passionate about the important historic gardens that we represent at Historic Houses. Our Garden of the Year award has been running since 1984, and is a roll-call of some of the most important historic gardens in the UK. Past winners include Newby Hall, North Yorkshire (1986 and 2019), Forde Abbey, Dorset (1992), Levens Hall, Cumbria (1994), Kiftsgate Court, Gloucestershire (2003) and Gordon Castle, Moray (2021).

Many of our places have important plant collections, such as the magnolias at Caerhays in Cornwall, or the species collected at Borde Hill in West Sussex.
Our Gardens Committee meets regularly throughout the year to discuss the horticultural and other issues that are affecting the operation of historic gardens in private ownership. It is chaired by Ursula Cholmeley, who owns and manages Easton Walled Gardens in Lincolnshire.

We work closely with the Royal Horticultural Society, the Gardens Trust, the National Gardens Scheme, and many other gardens-related organisations, to promote the work and long-term care and protection of historic landscapes.