The Stately Homes
The best National Trust houses to visit.
The 132 National Trust houses with at least 250 Google reviews, ranked by what visitors say. The top 25 are below, with the method set out on the page.
On the collective verdict of 434,631 Google reviews, the best National Trust house to visit is Stourhead in Wiltshire, rated 4.8 stars across 12,142 reviews. Cragside in Northumberland is second. The full top 25 is below, drawn from the 147 National Trust houses on this list.
The order comes from the review data, not from an editor's favourites. A house needs 250 reviews to be ranked, which leaves 132 houses; 15 more carry fewer reviews and are left out until more visitors have rated them.
No. 1
Stourhead
Stourhead is a Palladian mansion built for the Hoare banking family, but it's best known for the landscape garden that surrounds it, laid out around a lake with a circular walking route. Reviewers rate both halves highly - the house for its paintings and furniture, including the well-known Pope's Cabinet, and the garden for the roughly 45-minute lake walk that changes character through the seasons, from bluebells and rhododendrons to snowdrops. Staff and volunteers are repeatedly praised as warm and knowledgeable.
No. 2
Cragside
Cragside was built for Lord Armstrong and holds the distinction of being the first house in the world lit by hydroelectric power, with period interiors that reflect its Victorian innovation as much as its history. Reviewers consistently call it one of the best National Trust properties they've visited, praising both the house and the scale of the surrounding grounds and gardens. It's a big site - reviewers note some viewpoints are best reached by car rather than on foot.
No. 3
Lanhydrock
Lanhydrock is a Victorian country house with more than 50 rooms open to visitors, largely rebuilt after a fire destroyed much of the original building in 1881.
No. 4
Wallington
Wallington is a 17th-century house in Northumberland with a central hall added under the influence of the Pre-Raphaelite-connected Trevelyan family, giving the interior an artistic character distinct from many houses of its period. No visitor reviews are currently on file for this listing, so specifics of a recent visit aren't available here. The notes suggest a house whose interest centres on its later Pre-Raphaelite-era additions as much as its original 17th-century structure.
No. 5
Coleton Fishacre
Coleton Fishacre is a 1920s Arts and Crafts house built for the D'Oyly Carte family, set above a coastal garden that runs down to the cliffs over the sea. Reviewers rate the garden as among the best they've visited, especially when the bluebells or other seasonal plantings are in full bloom, with the house itself well documented in photos and notes tracing its development.
No. 6
Dunham Massey
Dunham Massey is a Georgian and Edwardian house set within a medieval deer park, giving visitors a combination of a grand interior and centuries-old parkland roamed by deer.
No. 7
Lyme Park
Lyme Park is a grand Palladian mansion best known to many visitors as Pemberley in the BBC's 1995 Pride and Prejudice adaptation, though its history runs back further to a medieval hunting lodge, with Elizabethan features still visible. Reviewers rate both the house tours and the walking trails on the wider estate, on the edge of the Peak District.
No. 8
Hardwick Hall
Hardwick Hall is an Elizabethan prodigy house built for Bess of Hardwick, famed for its vast expanses of glass across its three floors. Reviewers highlight the centuries-old tapestries and detailed stone carvings inside, and rate the walks around the grounds and lakes as a strong draw in their own right, popular with both history enthusiasts and dog walkers.
No. 9
Waddesdon Manor
Waddesdon Manor is a French Renaissance-style chateau built in the late 1800s for the Rothschild family, now cared for by the National Trust (free entry for members). Reviewers describe an estate on a grand scale, with gardens, farmland walks and an aviary alongside the house, and recommend booking the house tour in advance.
No. 10
Belton House
Belton House is a Restoration-era country house widely regarded as a benchmark of English country house architecture, and reviewers describe an incredible house paired with helpful room guides and extensive grounds and walks. The library is a particular highlight, with visitors free to sit and read from the books on display. Historic links include a stay by Prince Charles during his time as a cadet at Cranwell.
No. 11
Anglesey Abbey
Anglesey Abbey began as an Augustinian priory before being remodelled into a Jacobean-style house by Lord Fairhaven, who also laid out its extensive gardens. Reviewers rate the gardens as the main draw, with a winter garden they call magical, while the house holds antiques and period rooms worth a shorter visit alongside them.
No. 12
Attingham Park
Attingham Park is a neoclassical mansion built for the first Lord Berwick, notable for a picture gallery roofed in cast iron and glass, and set within a large deer park. Reviewers describe a full day out, with the option of paid extra tours such as 'Behind Closed Doors' giving access to the top two floors and stories of the last owners. The grounds are consistently praised as stunning and dog-friendly, with plenty of wildlife and a large deer park to explore.
No. 13
Chartwell
Chartwell was the family home of Sir Winston Churchill for over 40 years, and reviewers describe both house and grounds as strikingly large and well presented, from a spacious free car park to extensive gardens. The house holds exhibitions on Churchill's life, and visitors consistently mention the black swans on the grounds alongside the historical exhibits. Even those who miss the house due to afternoon closing describe the grounds and setting as worth the visit alone.
No. 14
Blickling Estate
Blickling is a red-brick Jacobean mansion in Norfolk with a birthplace association to the Boleyn family, set within extensive parkland, walks, and a lake. Reviewers consistently rate the grounds as the main draw - bluebell woods, cycle hire, and long walks feature heavily - while the house itself gets praise for its library and the knowledge of its volunteers, including cataloguing work still visibly in progress. It's a big day out rather than a quick call, with a cafe and pub near the car park.
No. 15
Knole
Knole is one of England's largest houses, former home of the Sackville family and childhood home of Vita Sackville-West, built in the 1400s originally as an archbishop's residence. Reviewers describe a house that feels lived-in despite its scale, and the deer park surrounding it is a major draw in its own right, with tame deer visitors can get close to. It's rated as a full day out combining historic interiors with extensive parkland walks.
No. 16
Cliveden
Cliveden is a 19th-century Italianate mansion overlooking the Thames, once home to the Astor family and now run as a hotel, with its grounds open to day visitors via the National Trust. Reviewers rate the gardens and woodland walks highly across seasons, from winter to spring, though several note that National Trust tickets cover the grounds only, not the house itself.
No. 17
Baddesley Clinton
Baddesley Clinton is a moated medieval manor house in Warwickshire that sheltered Catholic priests in hidden priest holes during a period of religious persecution - a house whose history of concealment and survival is its defining story. No visitor reviews are currently on file for this listing, so a first-hand account of a recent visit isn't available here. The notes suggest the priest holes and the house's moated setting are its principal points of interest.
No. 18
Kedleston Hall
Kedleston Hall is a Neoclassical mansion designed by Robert Adam for the Curzon family, and reviewers frequently rate it among the best National Trust houses they've visited, praising the immaculate condition of the architecture. The domed room and marble halls are recurring highlights, alongside grounds that offer walks through parkland wildlife.
No. 19
Erddig
Erddig is a late 17th-century house noted for its unusually well-documented relationship with its servants, whose lives and roles were recorded in detail and are woven into the house's interpretation today. Reviewers rate the volunteer guides highly for exactly this reason - the depth of knowledge about the people who worked at Erddig as much as the family who owned it. The gardens are praised even into autumn, and the car park has been known to fill up fast when events are on.
No. 20
Birmingham Back to Backs
Birmingham Back to Backs is a restored courtyard of 19th-century back-to-back houses, the last surviving example of a housing type that once dominated the city, telling the story of ordinary Birmingham life from the 1800s through to the 1970s. Visits run entirely on guided tours, and reviewers consistently praise the guides for bringing that social history to life rather than just walking visitors through empty rooms. It's rated highly as an eye-opening look at working-class housing, industry and immigration in the city.
No. 21
Ightham Mote
Ightham Mote is a moated medieval manor house dating from around 1320, described by the Trust as the most complete medieval moated manor house in England, and reviewers back that up with consistent praise for its historic character. The house is full of interesting antiques, with flat, easy walks around the property and its two lakes. A natural play area and well-stocked shop and cafe make it manageable for a family visit.
No. 22
Speke Hall
Speke Hall is a Tudor timber-framed manor house on the edge of Liverpool, near the airport, with black-and-white gabled architecture that reviewers consistently rate as the highlight of the visit. Beyond the house there's a maze, woodland trail, play area, and a signposted coastal walk down to the Mersey, making it a popular choice for families as well as history-minded visitors. Reviews are warm throughout, though a few note the gardens don't quite match the Trust's very best.
No. 23
Wightwick Manor
Wightwick Manor is a large Victorian house built by an industrialist in a mock-Tudor style, set in grounds on the outskirts of Wolverhampton, and its main claim to fame is its original William Morris interiors and Pre-Raphaelite connections. Reviewers describe it as lavish and extravagant for its late-19th-century date, with a welcoming feel that draws repeat visits. Some note the story told is mostly about the later Mander family rather than the original Wightwicks who built the house.
No. 24
Standen
Standen is an Arts and Crafts house in West Sussex designed by Philip Webb and decorated with Morris & Co furnishings, built in the late 19th century for Margaret and James Beale. Reviewers consistently rate it among their favourite National Trust properties, praising the textiles, pottery, furniture, and colour schemes as forming a harmonious, warm whole rather than a collection of separate rooms. The barn cafe and second-hand bookshop are noted extras alongside the house tour.
No. 25
Knightshayes
Knightshayes is a Victorian Gothic Revival house designed by William Burges for the Heathcoat-Amory family, and its unusual, slightly eccentric character comes through in visitor reactions as much as the guidebooks. Reviewers consistently rate the grounds as highly as the house itself, with formal gardens, a kitchen garden, mature trees, and marked woodland walks up to 4km. Knowledgeable guides and a second-hand bookshop add to what most visitors treat as a full day out rather than a quick stop.
How this ranking works
Only houses the National Trust runs are included, which excludes the National Trust for Scotland. Every rating and review count comes from publicly available Google review data. Each house's score is its own rating pulled toward the 4.60-star average of the 132 ranked houses, with the pull weakening as its review count grows: at 5,000 reviews the two count equally. That stops a perfect score from a few hundred visitors beating a near-perfect one from tens of thousands.
Ratings move as new reviews arrive, so treat neighbouring positions as close-run. A gap of several places is real, a gap of one or two is not.
Before you travel
Houses close rooms for conservation and change their opening days faster than any list can follow. Each entry links to that house's own page here, which carries its access notes and official website. Check there before planning a day around a visit.
Questions people ask
What is the best National Trust house to visit?
On a review-weighted score built from 434,631 Google reviews, the best National Trust house on this list is Stourhead in Wiltshire, rated 4.8 stars across 12,142 reviews. Cragside in Northumberland is second, on 4.8 stars from 8,296 reviews.
Which National Trust house has the most reviews?
Stourhead has the most Google reviews of any National Trust house on this list, with 12,142 at 4.8 stars. It places No. 1 here, because the ranking rewards a high rating held across many visitors rather than the size of the crowd.
How are the best National Trust houses chosen here?
Only houses the National Trust runs are ranked, and only those with at least 250 Google reviews, which leaves 132 of the 147 that carry reviews. Each house's rating is pulled toward the 4.60-star average of those 132, with the pull weakening as its review count grows. No editor reordered the list.
Does this include National Trust for Scotland houses?
No. The National Trust and the National Trust for Scotland are separate charities with separate membership. This page ranks the houses the National Trust runs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Scottish houses appear on the all-operator ranking of the best stately homes.
Will a National Trust membership get me into these houses?
Membership covers entry to most National Trust houses, but not every one, and some charge for special events or parking. The membership page on this site works out the annual fee per visit, and the Explorer Pass page lists which houses a pass reaches.