Waddesdon Manor (NT)

Waddesdon Manor is a French Renaissance-style château in the heart of Buckinghamshire. Set in a 6,000 acres estate, it was built in the 1870s by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild to house his art treasures and entertain the fashionable world. His collections, including English portraits, Dutch old masters and French decorative arts are amongst the finest in the world, all set inside richly decorated interiors, alongside changing exhibitions. To secure its future, Waddesdon was left to the National Trust in 1957. The Rothschild Foundation now manages Waddesdon on behalf of the National Trust, and has continued to add to the collections, with both 18th-century and contemporary art. Today, focal points in the garden include an iconic Victorian-style Parterre - famed for its colourful seasonal bedding, an ornate Rococo-style Aviary - conserving rare birds, Pulham rockwork and 3D bird bedding sculptures that are examples of the Rothschild’s pioneering gardening. NT members reduced price.