Knebworth House

A Gothic fantasy of turrets, domes and gargoyles, remodelled from a Tudor manor by novelist Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton from 1843, open to visit with its gardens and park.

Britain's best-known open-air rock venue: Led Zeppelin played here in 1979, Queen gave their last show with Freddie Mercury in 1986, and Oasis played to a quarter of a million people in 1996.

The Lytton family have lived here since Sir Robert Lytton bought the manor in 1490, and the gardens, deer park, dinosaur trail and Watchtower make it an easy full day out.