Historical Country Houses

In December, Lulu Benson welcomes her extended family to Neidpath Castle in the Scottish Borders, where they celebrate the season with reeling and feasting in the vaulted medieval hall

Interior designer Martin Brudnizki and his art consultant partner Jonathan Brook like to let their imaginations run riot at home in West Sussex, especially at this time of year. Part of a large 17th-century house in West Sussex, their flat, with its grand proportions and ornate original features, provides the perfect backdrop for indulging their lavish, country-house decorating dreams.

As House & Garden’s editor Hatta Byng explains, the process of restoring the house her husband inherited in North Yorkshire was a collaborative endeavour. Working closely with a team of specialists, they have created inviting rooms that work as well for daily life as they do for joyful celebrations

Though over 300 years old, this Northamptonshire house had lost much of its character until its owners enlisted the help of trusted decorator Robert Young, who restored a sense of its past with a mix of antiques, folk art and rich distemper walls

At her home in Devon, House & Garden's food editor Blanche Vaughan lives a life dictated by the rhythms of her garden and the seasonality of the produce she grows

Together, Jean-Baptiste Martin and Vincent Farelly of paper company Antoinette Poisson have sensitively restored this historic house in a French seaside town to its former glory

After the successful renovation of Ven House in Somerset, interior designer and owner Mike Fisher turned his studied eye to the derelict stable block, fashioning it into comfortable, layered guest quarters

With its stone mullioned windows and roof peaked with gables, there is something of the fantastical about this Dartmoor house. And now the fairy-tale façade is echoed by its interiors, brilliantly conjured into life by architectural salvage experts Maria Speake and Adam Hills of Retrouvius

A move to the house on the North York Moors that has been in her husband’s family since 1899 has provided textile designer Natasha James with inspiration and the ideal showcase for her colourful block-printed linens

The late Victoria de Rothschild had a passion for beautiful things, evidenced in a new exhibition of contemporary handcrafted pieces from her collection at her former home, Ascott House in Buckinghamshire, which still bears the hallmarks of her refined taste

When Lady Chichester inherited Radbourne Hall, she became the custodian of a jewel in the interior-design crown – a surviving example of an almost complete John Fowler scheme. A decade on and the house has been subtly and sensitively restored to its former glory

With its Robert Adam interiors and Capability Brown landscape, Bowood is the epitome of an eighteenth-century English country house, formed by the taste and vision of previous inhabitants and now adapting gently to the needs of the twenty-first century

Having inherited the house from her parents, fourth-generation antiques dealer Dana Jennings Rohn has made it a space that pays homage to her family traditions while reflecting her own convivial spirit

For three decades, Davina and Gavin Hogg have dedicated themselves to the preservation and revival of a family estate in the Brecon Beacons, restoring the house and gardens, and protecting Penpont’s future through a series of sustainable businesses and conservation projects

Faced with the daunting task of reviving this 17th-century cottage in the Cotswolds, Ben Adler and Pat Llewellyn enlisted the help of historic building consultant Hilton Marlton. Together, they restored its original features without losing sight of the need to make it a comfortable weekend base

In a story from our May 2013 issue, we visit Williamstrip in the Cotswolds, which has been restored, extended and modernised by the current owners with the help of architect Craig Hamilton and decorator Mark Gillette

King Charles's first Welsh home, adapted from a former model farm in Carmarthenshire, bears witness to his philosophy of sustainable building, with a structure traditionally made from existing and locally sourced materials, an ecologically sound heating system, and elegant interiors that harmonise perfectly with the architecture

 Keith Johnson and Glen Senk’s search for a retreat from Florida’s heat took them to a Grade II-listed house in south west England, which, after restoration and redecoration, is a refreshing amalgamation of creative American spirit and English country ideals

After living in Milan for five years, British fashion designer Ashley Fletcher fell for a 16th-century villa in Piedmont. This has become a creative playground, where he has allowed his imagination to run wild with remarkable results

Farrow & Ball’s colour curator Joa Studholme applied her talents to her own 19th-century schoolhouse in rural Somerset, using carefully chosen hues to emphasise its lofty ceilings and complement her existing furniture