Latest news with #WilliamBurges
Time Out
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Open House 2025: 5 seriously cool private London homes you can explore that are normally closed to the public
London's annual Open House Festival is back this September, and it's looking bigger and better than ever before, with over 800 events taking place across all 33 London boroughs over two consecutive weekends. As well as offering Londoners the chance to go behind-the-scenes at a bunch of iconic buildings that are usually closed to the public – you can even enter a ballot for a tour of the Prime Minister's gaff – its programme also features free private tours of dozens of architecturally impressive private homes. Maybe you're the kind of curtain-twitching neighbour that'd love nothing more than a good old snoop around the big fancy gaff at the end of your street, or maybe you're just looking for some inspiration for your home renovation project. Either way, don't miss your chance to tour these five remarkable properties. The Green House, South Tottenham This South Tottenham marvel is an ordinary family home – with a difference. It's inspired by the greenhouses that once sat on the site, making it a plant and light-filled marvel. Architects Hayhurst & Co's award-winning 2021 design takes the familiar outlines of a classic British terraced house and reimagines them in elegant panels of polycarbonate and concrete blocks, creating an eco-friendly space that's worlds way from your average cramped London gaff. There are plenty of ideas you could bring home with you, though, like practical room-dividing curtains or tactile recycled cork floors. 25 Jansons Road, N15 4JU. Sat Sep 13. Free. Book here. The Triangle House, Hampstead We all know space is at a premium in London, but this Hampstead micro home is next level. Winner of the 2024 'Don't Move Improve' award for best project under £100,000, it's squashed into just 39 square metres, turning a former mechanic's garage into a practical little pad. Go along to marvel at its sliding beds, triangular sofas and pocket garden: all with a bright and breezy aesthetic that somehow makes this tight plot feel spacious. 1A Glastonbury Street, NW6 1QJ. Sat Sep 13-Sun Sep 14. Free. Book here. Six Columns, Crystal Palace RIBA's House of the Year in 2024, this family home in the leafy suburbs of south London was designed by and for architect William Burges. Its unassuming exterior sits inconspicuously alongside neighbouring properties, but peek inside and you'll find all sorts of characterful details, including stepping brickwork, sliding pinewood partitions, clerestory windows and an impressive marble and concrete entrance loggia. 29A Dulwich Wood Avenue, SE19 1HG. Sat Sep 20. Free. Book here. The Twin House, Hackney Downs Featured in the most recent series of 'Grand Designs', this sustainable house was designed by architect Graeme Williamson as a home for his and his partner Melanie's blended family. A double-gabled structure that subtly references the family unit within, it features an upside-down layout, with bedrooms on the ground floor and basement levels, and communal spaces upstairs. Make like Kevin McCloud and have a good old nosy at its gorgeous details, including red cement cladding, a spiral staircase and full-height windows overlooking the rear garden. 19 Maury Road, N16 7BP. Sat Sep 20. Free. Book here. Walter Segal Self-Build Houses, Honor Oak Building your own home is the dream, right? But not many people have the steely nerves and bottomless bank accounts you need to knock one up from scratch. That's where visionary architect Walter Segal comes in. He developed a modular system to help ordinary people create affordable homes from scratch, working together to build mini communities. London's tight planning laws mean his ideas didn't gain much traction, but this 1987 Honor Oak development is a vision of what could have been. 13 sustainable, timber-framed homes cluster together amongst the trees, each as unique as its owners.
South Wales Argus
09-08-2025
- South Wales Argus
The 'real-life Disney castle' in South Wales
Castell Coch, or "Red Castle", is well-known for its highly decorated interiors and rich furnishings. It is a popular attraction, regularly voted by the public as their "favourite building in Wales", according to Cadw. Describing the South Wales castle, the Welsh Government service added: "Given free rein by the third Marquess of Bute, architect William Burges didn't hold back. "The highly decorated interiors and rich furnishings of Castell Coch make it a dazzling masterpiece of the High Victorian era. "But it's no exotic folly. Underneath the mock-medieval trappings you can still trace the impressive remains of a 13th-century castle, once used as a hunting lodge by the ruthless Marcher lord Gilbert de Clare." The history behind Castell Coch Castell Coch, which is located above the village of Tongwynlais and can be seen from the M4, dates back to the 11th century. You can see Castell Coch from the M4. (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto) A Norman castle was originally built on the site to protect Cardiff and the route along the River Taff. The ruins of this castle were then acquired by John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, in 1760, as part of a marriage settlement, BBC Countryfile explains. "He commissioned the architect William Burges to rebuild the castle as a country residence – after having commissioned Burges to also design the reconstruction of Cardiff Castle," the BBC experts added. Burges then set about creating a "magnificent medieval fantasy" built around the two towers and a lofty hall from Gilbert de Clare's 13th-century fortress. Cadw explains: "He rebuilt the gatehouse, raised the height of the towers and equipped them with conical roofs topped with copper-gilt weathervanes. "He installed a wall-walk and a timber fighting gallery. "But this authentic recreation still came with all mod cons, including central heating. There was even a metal bell-pull for visitors to tug." However, the Earl of Bute fell out of love with the project before its completion, and with Burges dying suddenly in 1881, some rooms were never finished. The castle eventually fell into disuse until it was requisitioned for British and American troops during World War II. In 1950, the 5th Marquess of Bute placed the castle in the care of the Ministry of Works, and gave Cardiff Castle to the city, according to BBC Countryfile. The castle is now cared for by Cadw. Which TV shows and movies have been filmed at Castell Coch? Castell Coch recently featured on a list of "the 10 utterly breathtaking, real-life Disney castles from around the world", released by BBC Countryfile. And while it hasn't featured in any Disney movies or TV shows, it has played host to various film crews. The BBC used Castell Coch for the filming of Wolf Hall, starring Damian Lewis, while The Worst Witch was also filmed there. RECOMMENDED READING: The South Wales castle has also featured in several episodes of Doctor Who, according to IMDb, including: Journey's End The Vampires of Venice Nightmare in Silver You can visit Castell Coch all year round, with ticket prices starting at £7.50 (free for Cadw members). For more information, visit the Cadw website (a link to which can be found above).
Times
08-08-2025
- Times
I've found Kent's quirkiest new stay — it's a restoration triumph
Stepping inside the flint-knapped walls of Maison Dieu, the grade I listed former town hall that has stood in central Dover since the Middle Ages, feels like entering a neo-gothic fever dream. A strange summer mist had rolled in as we approached the White Cliffs, only adding to the drama as we stumbled through a maze of ceremonial rooms, resplendent with jewel-like wall stencillings, coffered ceilings, gilded wyvern dragons and a huge, Arthurian round table fit for the next series of The Traitors. This is the Mayor's Parlour, a self-contained suite designed by William Burges as part of a Victorian extension to the original medieval building. It's the latest holiday let to be opened by the Landmark Trust in the charity's 60th anniversary year and I'm the first journalist to stay, with a group of friends. Founded by Hubert de Burgh, the Earl of Kent, in 1203, Maison Dieu (House of God) started life as a monastic hostel offering pilgrims bed and board on their way to Thomas Becket's shrine at Canterbury Cathedral, but there are many different chapters to its history. After the Reformation it became a victualling yard, supplying ship's biscuits and beer to the Royal Navy, before it was bought by Dover Corporation to be turned into Dover's town hall. In his 19th-century overhaul Burges — the flamboyant Victorian architect-designer best known for Cardiff Castle's fantastical interiors — converted the ancient fabric into a grand assembly hall, courtroom and prison cells, and added the mayor's quarters in the style of privy chambers to a medieval court. The building fell into disrepair after the council relocated in the 1980s but a painstaking £10.5 million restoration project has now permanently opened the dazzling civic spaces to the public free of charge, and the parlour for private hire by up to six people. The remains of Burges's original decorative scheme, discovered under layers of modern paint, were recreated by hand. Every single panel of stained glass — tens of thousands of individual pieces — has been cleaned and conserved. The mayor's meeting chamber is now the dining room, where that magnificent mahogany round table comes complete with a jagged piece of shrapnel from a cross-Channel shell that exploded in the street below during the Second World War, when the surrounding area was known as Hellfire Corner. What is now the sitting room was once the place where witnesses waited to appear before the Sessions Court, while the adjoining WC contains the original Victorian urinal (a more charming artefact than it sounds) and a working replica of the wooden 'Thunderbox' toilet reserved for the use of the mayor and special guests. Upstairs on the second floor, the spacious en suite double and two slightly more spartan twin bedrooms, each with access to their own bathroom, were formerly the Minute Rooms, where clerks kept the town's records. The wooden beds are deceptively comfy and the bathrooms top spec (I was particularly taken by our freestanding mustard-coloured tub). Landmark's in-house joinery team built the bespoke kitchen in what was originally the mayor's robing chamber. Kitted out with Le Creuset pans, the charity's beautiful own-brand Old Chelsea china and an eight-seat table, this is probably the parlour's cosiest communal space. We find ourselves eschewing the much grander dining room to eat, drink wine and play cards here into the early hours. As with all Landmark properties the parlour is self-catering — a pint of milk and teabags are supplied for a preliminary brew, but you'll need to bring all other provisions. There's an M&S Foodhall less than ten minutes' walk away, with plenty of parking. • Revealed: 100 Best Places to Stay in the UK for 2025 There's no TV, radio or wi-fi — another Landmark trademark — and we struggle to find a reliable phone signal, which means we're blissfully cut off from the high street on our doorstep but also, at points, each other. Trying to get two cups of tea down a corridor, through two sets of heavy fire doors (however carefully crafted to replicate surviving originals) up a stone staircase and back to bed without being able to call for a hand is a challenge. Despite the ongoing revitalisation of the Kent coast, Dover is still a town most people pass through, rather than a destination. 'Go to Canterbury,' is one local's suggestion when we ask for recommendations, but happily we find a few gems. The Hoptimist has a great range of cask ale, local ciders and craft beers, while the White Horse, the town's oldest pub whose walls are scrawled with the times of swimmers who took the amphibious route to France, serves tasty mussels steamed with cider and bacon and skin-on fries (£18.50, On our walk back to the parlour we see the Art Club ( has a live band and a 2am licence, while the Vinoteq Jazz Bar opposite looked to have a wine list worth sampling ( The next morning we tour Maison Dieu's impressive state rooms, which now host an eclectic programme of community events from the local proms to British wrestling. • Read our full guide to Kent Dover Castle commands views of the town from every angle but at £30.90 a head ( we decide we don't have time to do it justice and head instead for the chalk cliffs via Dame Vera Lynn Way. A glorious, gently undulating two-hour hike around England's southeasternmost corner takes us past Fan Bay Deep Shelter, a wartime labyrinth of underground tunnels, and the South Foreland Lighthouse, before descending past some serious property porn to the shingle beach at St Margaret's Bay, once home to Ian Fleming (007 was the number of the Dover to London bus). After a restorative pint on the Coastguard's busy, sunny terrace it's another easy two hours — our phones repeatedly pinging 'welcomes' to France — to Deal pier, with a pitstop at the weatherboarded Zetland Arms on Kingsdown's beachfront en route. • This is the UK's most overlooked coast From Deal, it's a 20-minute train ride back to Dover Priory (the station is a seven-minute walk from the Mayor's Parlour and trains carry on to Folkestone in another ten minutes). But we get off a stop early at Martin Mill and head down country lanes to the Lantern Inn ( a quirky, cosy, wood-panelled free house with a sprawling, semi-covered garden out back. We feel we've earned the 30-day dry-aged ribeye steaks, eaten under the watchful eye of Boris the pub cat, perched on his stool at the bar, before calling a taxi back to the parlour (mains from £13.50). On our last morning, the hardiest member of our party braves an early morning sea swim as giant ferries chug by, followed by a steam at Rebels sauna. The rest of us head for coffee back at the Art Club, alongside a mix of Lycra-clad Gen Z-ers and walkers in performance-wear. Although it's evident the Mayor's Parlour was never intended for domestic use — we never quite shake off a sense of roaming around an empty institution, after hours — it would be perfect for atmospheric murder mystery weekends, or combining forays along the coast with exploring the majestic history of Maison Dieu. The restoration feat is astonishing and the finish immaculate, a five-star difference from the poor pilgrim's hostel this once was. Rachel Cocker was a guest of the Landmark Trust which has three nights' self-catering for six from £663 (
Scottish Sun
27-05-2025
- Scottish Sun
Historic attraction named best in the UK by Which? has free-roaming deer, water gardens and kids playground
Plus, the full list of top historic attractions including a former royal yacht BEST OF ALL BEST OF ALL Historic attraction named best in the UK by Which? has free-roaming deer, water gardens and kids playground Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE top historic attractions around the UK have been revealed and and beautiful former monastery in Yorkshire has come out on top. Which? asked 3,000 people what their favourite historic attractions are around the UK, and the ancient abbey came in at number one. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Fountains Abbey is the UK's top-rated historic attraction, according to Which? Credit: Alamy 4 There's also a 'top class' play park on site Credit: National Trust Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. Which? revealed that Fountains Abbey received an overall attraction score of 88 per cent - which was a combination of overall satisfaction and likelihood to recommend. It also got four stars for entertainment and five stars for lack of crowds. The site is three miles from the city of Ripon in North Yorkshire and was founded in 1132. Fountains Abbey operated for over 400 years as one of the wealthiest monasteries in the country until its dissolution in 1539. After being handed down through various families, the abbey is now owned by the National Trust and is classed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is home to 300 wild deer, which you can see roaming around the 822 acre parkland. The site also has a 'top class' play park according to visitors. It's less than two minutes from the visitor centre, there's a huge play area with a rope bridge, nets, fireman's poles, a slide and zip wire. During kids' holidays, there are extra activities like circus skills workshops, a teddy bears' picnic, crafts and live music. UK attraction inspired by ancient Greece - with medieval castle, Jurassic Park-esque gardens and kids playground 4 On site is also the Studley Royal Water Garden Credit: Alamy The site also includes St Mary's Church, one of the finest examples of high Victorian gothic revival architecture in England, designed by William Burges. It's home to the Studley Royal Water Garden, which includes canals, ponds, cascades and a temple. It was built by more than 100 men during the 1700s - and is called 'one of the best surviving examples of a Georgian water garden in England' by the National Trust. One visitor wrote on Tripadvisor: "Beautiful grounds and the abbey ruins were spectacular, I only wish we had arrived sooner so we could have spent more time." Fountains Abbey typically gets over 400,000 visitors a year, and it's been used for some TV shows too. It was used as background for the second season of The Witcher starring Henry Cavill and Anya Chalotra. Entry fee for the Fountains Abbey is £21 for adults. Children between 5-17 can get a ticket for £10.50. There's also an offer for families with a family of five getting entrance for £52.50 which is £10.50pp. One writer recently managed to get four National Trust family trips for the price of one by hacking their vouchers. And here are free attractions to visit this summer revealed by the National Trust. The full list of top-rated historical attractions from Which? Fountains Abbey Royal Yacht Britannia Culzean Castle & Country Park Titanic Belfast Roman Baths & Pump Room Durham Cathedral Stirling Castle Wakehurst Quarry Bank Stourhead St Paul's Cathedral Tower Bridge Exhibition Anglesey Abbey Powis Castle Westminster Abbey Calke Abbey Croome Court Tower of London Cliveden Winchester Cathedral Attingham Park Hever Castle & Gardens Mottisfont Abbey St David's Cathedral Tyntesfield Wimpole Hall Hampton Court Palace Shugborough Estate Waddesdon Manor York Minster Chatsworth House & Garden Dover Castle Lyme Park Lynton & Lynmouth Cliff Railway Polesden Lacey Belton House Chichester Cathedral Ickworth House Blenheim Palace Cardiff Castle Houses of Parliament Kingston Lacy Estate Old Royal Naval College Greenwich Ullswater Steamers Stonehenge Windermere Lake Cruises Dunham Massey Leeds Castle St Michael's Mount Bath Abbey Bodleian Library Bury St Edmunds Abbey Castle Howard Conwy Castle Edinburgh Castle Scarborough Cliff Railway Somerset House Kensington Palace Tatton Park Bristol Cathedral Southend-on-Sea Pier Caernarfon Castle Shakespeare's Birthplace
The Irish Sun
27-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
Historic attraction named best in the UK by Which? has free-roaming deer, water gardens and kids playground
THE top historic attractions around the UK have been revealed and and beautiful former monastery in Yorkshire has come out on top. 4 Fountains Abbey is the UK's top-rated historic attraction, according to Which? Credit: Alamy 4 There's also a 'top class' play park on site Credit: National Trust Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. It also got four stars for entertainment and five stars for lack of crowds. The site is three miles from the city of Ripon in North Yorkshire and was founded in 1132. Read More on UK Attractions Fountains Abbey operated for over 400 years as one of the wealthiest monasteries in the country until its dissolution in 1539. After being handed down through various families, the abbey is now owned by the National Trust and is classed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is home to 300 wild deer, which you can see roaming around the 822 acre parkland. The site also has a 'top class' play park according to visitors. Most read in News Travel It's less than two minutes from the visitor centre, there's a huge play area with a rope bridge, nets, fireman's poles, a slide and zip wire. During kids' holidays, there are extra activities like circus skills workshops, a teddy bears' picnic, crafts and live music. UK attraction inspired by ancient Greece - with medieval castle, Jurassic Park-esque gardens and kids playground 4 On site is also the Studley Royal Water Garden Credit: Alamy The site also includes St Mary's Church, one of the finest examples of high Victorian gothic revival architecture in England, designed by William Burges. It's home to the Studley Royal Water Garden, which includes canals, ponds, cascades and a temple. It was built by more than 100 men during the 1700s - and is called 'one of the best surviving examples of a Georgian water garden in England' by the One visitor wrote on Fountains Abbey typically gets over 400,000 visitors a year, and it's been used for some TV shows too. It was used as background for the second season of Entry fee for the Fountains Abbey is £21 for adults. Children between 5-17 can get a ticket for £10.50. There's also an offer for families with a family of five getting entrance for £52.50 which is £10.50pp. One writer recently managed to And here are The full list of top-rated historical attractions from Which? Fountains Abbey Royal Yacht Britannia Culzean Castle & Country Park Titanic Belfast Roman Baths & Pump Room Durham Cathedral Stirling Castle Wakehurst Quarry Bank Stourhead St Paul's Cathedral Tower Bridge Exhibition Anglesey Abbey Powis Castle Westminster Abbey Calke Abbey Croome Court Tower of London Cliveden Winchester Cathedral Attingham Park Hever Castle & Gardens Mottisfont Abbey St David's Cathedral Tyntesfield Wimpole Hall Hampton Court Palace Shugborough Estate Waddesdon Manor York Minster Chatsworth House & Garden Dover Castle Lyme Park Lynton & Lynmouth Cliff Railway Polesden Lacey Belton House Chichester Cathedral Ickworth House Blenheim Palace Cardiff Castle Houses of Parliament Kingston Lacy Estate Old Royal Naval College Greenwich Ullswater Steamers Stonehenge Windermere Lake Cruises Dunham Massey Leeds Castle St Michael's Mount Bath Abbey Bodleian Library Bury St Edmunds Abbey Castle Howard Conwy Castle Edinburgh Castle Scarborough Cliff Railway Somerset House Kensington Palace Tatton Park Bristol Cathedral Southend-on-Sea Pier Caernarfon Castle Shakespeare's Birthplace 4 Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire was voted best historic attraction Credit: Alamy
