Eastnor Castle

Encircled by the Malvern Hills and surrounded by a famous arboretum and lake, this fairytale castle looks as dramatic inside as it does outside. The atmosphere Everyone is struck by it. The vitality of a young family brings the past to life and the sense of warmth and optimism is tangible. Eastnor, however grand, is a home. `Sleeping' for the past fifty years, the Castle has undergone a triumphant renaissance - `looking better than it probably ever has', Country Life 1993. Hidden away in attics and cellars since 1939, many of the castle's treasures are now displayed for the first time - early Italian Fine Art, 17th century Venetian furniture and Flemish tapestries, mediaeval armour and paintings by Van Dyck, Romney, Wootton and Watts, photographs by Julia Margaret Cameron. Drawing Room by Pugin. 'The princely and imposing pile' as it was described in 1812 when it was being built to pitch the owner into the aristocracy, remains the home of his descendants. The castle contains letters diaries, clothes and furnishings belonging to friends and relations who include: Horace Walpole, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Tennyson, Watts, Julia Margaret Cameron and Virginia Woolf. Encircled by the Malvern Hills, the medieval beauty of the estate remains unchanged. gardens Castellated terraces descend to a 21 acre lake with a restored lakeside walk. The arboretum holds a famous collection of mature specimen trees. There are spectacular views of the Malvern hills across a 300 acre deer park, once part of a mediaeval chase and now designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Historic Houses Association Member. OPENING TIMES SUMMER: 4 April - 3 October: Suns & BH Mons. July - August: Sun - Fri 11am - 5pm. NB. Groups by appointment at other times when the castle is closed to casual visitors