If you’re feeling regal, sample the afternoon tea on offer at Harewood House’s south-facing terrace. High-end sandwiches and cakes are the name of the game, in wonderful Georgian-era surroundings.

Among the Peak District’s primary visitor destinations, Chatsworth House and its surrounding estate should not be missed by anyone with even the slightest interest in beautiful buildings and equally beautiful scenery.

Speke Hall Gardens and Estate is a National Trust property just outside Liverpool and a glorious place to visit for all ages.

With over 900 years of history, the uniquely preserved Medieval and Tudor house is among the oldest in England.

Tatton Park is a historical estate with a neo-classical mansion, 50 acres of landscaped gardens, 1000 acres of deer park, a rare breed farm and medieval Old Hall.

A trip to Raby Castle involves a medieval fortress and early modern art, creating an unforgettable experience for all the family.

A few miles north of Penrith, Hutton-in-the-Forest is an exquisite country house, described by Simon Jenkins as “one of Britain’s top 100”.

Visitors to Dalemain can enjoy four centuries of architecture, five acres of celebrated gardens and a Medieval Hall Tearoom.

A beautiful Elizabethan manor house, featuring the oldest surviving example of a topiary garden. The house and gardens are a joy to wander in, and the recently established Levens Kitchen provides delicious seasonal and local food.

Affectionately referred to as the ‘Downton of the North’, Gawthorpe Hall was redesigned in the 1850s by Sir Charles Barry, designer of the Houses of Parliament and the ‘real’ Downton Abbey, Highclere Castle.

Beningbrough Hall is a well-loved museum whose interiors are full of stunning works of art and whose gardens are a joy for families to wander in.

An intriguing anomaly among stately homes, Rode Hall consists of not one but two Georgian manor houses.

With roots stretching back to the Middle Ages, Bramall Hall near Stockport is one of the best examples of a Tudor Manor House the UK has to offer.

The Muncaster Castle estate takes in a haunted castle, bluebell woods, Hawk and Owl Centre, playground, cafe, gift shop and more.

Norton Conyers, located just north of Ripon, Yorkshire, is world-famous as the inspiration for Charlotte Bronte’s novel Jane Eyre.

Derbyshire’s Eyam Hall is one of the few surviving examples of an unadulterated Jacobean grit-stone manor house. The striking building is set among a picturesque town which has grown up around it and beyond that lies picturesque countryside for fans of the outdoors.

Burnley’s Towneley Hall and Park is a treasure trove of architecture and art. And if you’re really lucky, you might spot the local boggart, a sinister paranormal entity supposed to appear once every seven years, prophesying the death of one of the hall’s occupants.

Bywell Hall is one of the jewels of the River Tyne. This classic 18th-century manor house boasts a fine portico, decorative windows, an orangery, and ornamental urns all set in rolling parkland.

Holker Hall & Gardens has woodlands and a wonderful deer park. Events include a spring fair and summer theatre. There’s even a labyrinth for walking in the gardens.

Leighton Hall is the family seat of the Gillow family – a classic Georgian manor house with a 19th century Gothicised facade.