Boughton House

The home of the Dukes of Buccleuch and Queensberry, Boughton House in Kettering, Northants, sits surrounded by idyllic English landscape and chocolate box country villages. The house, once a modest manor, was purchased by the Montagu family in 1528 and slowly over the centuries was added to and enhanced, particularly the stunning gardens, until it became the grand house modelled on Louis XIV's Versailles that you see today. The result is a wonderful mix of grandeur and village charm with a mass of courtyards, chimney stacks, staircases and roof levels that make this house to fascinating to explore. From the grand state rooms, bedrooms and halls to the imposing stables and fearsome armoury, Boughton is soaked in history, every nook and cranny stuffed with wonderful furniture, paintings and artefacts. Outside, the gardens alone are worth the trip. Sit and picnic by the lovely lily pond, take a trip through the tunnels (which are thought to have been created to provide a fountain water jet to impress visitors) and wander through the riot of colour that is the walled garden.