"Longleat - the House" Longleat Other Attractions Tip by sourbugger

Lord Bath was one of the first members of the aristocracy to take the dramatic step of opening up his house to the great plebian unwashed masses.

It's not surprising that many then followed suit - raising much needed cash to repair and prop up the crumbling relics.

You can currently see about one third of the house, with a few more rooms available on 'special' tours that run rather infrequently. Lord Bath and his (see other tip) 'housemates' live in the last, and much more modern third.

The sections that you can see include all the important public rooms : saloon, drawing rooms, grand staircases and libraries. The dress gallery seems to draw a good deal of interest. There is also a Victorian kitchen shop (i thought this bit was very well done) and a restaurant.

The architecture is very decidedly 'High Elizabethan'. You can almost imagine Kate Blanchett appearing from some dusty corner. The house is not however a 'museum piece', it has quite a lived in feel to it, and is spotted with some of Lord Bath's murals.

Website: http://www.longleat.com