The Landmark Trust

The Landmark Trust The Landmark Trust is a building preservation charity, founded by the late Sir John Smith and Lady Smith.
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It was established to rescue historic and architecturally interesting buildings and their surroundings from neglect. Once restored, Landmarks are let as inspiring places to stay with the income generated supporting their ongoing maintenance to ensure that they will never again fall into decay. Each year we receive details of around 150 historic buildings in need of rescue, but our activity is limi

ted to around three or four projects a year by the resources of time and the money we can raise. Each restoration uses traditional craft skills and techniques.

Tixall’s archaeological ghosts ✨ Built in around 1580, Tixall Gatehouse once guarded the entrance to Old Tixall Hall. Th...
26/08/2026

Tixall’s archaeological ghosts ✨

Built in around 1580, Tixall Gatehouse once guarded the entrance to Old Tixall Hall. The great house (and its 18th-century replacement) have long since disappeared, leaving only this remarkable building standing alone in the Staffordshire countryside.

Like much of England, the fields around Tixall have been scorched by this summer’s extreme heat. And, just as in 2018, the dry grass has revealed the archaeological footprints of the lost house, visible from the air as parch marks.

It’s a fascinating glimpse of a building that has otherwise vanished - and a reminder of the view Mary, Queen of Scots would have seen from her window while briefly held prisoner here following the discovery of the Babington Plot in September 1585.

Read more about Tixall Gatehouse and book your stay for 2027 at our website: https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/properties/tixall-gatehouse

Photos: John Miller

It may be more than 300 years old, but this fantastical folly at the edge of a Somerset woodland still holds the power t...
25/08/2026

It may be more than 300 years old, but this fantastical folly at the edge of a Somerset woodland still holds the power to captivate and surprise.

Built by Sir Charles Kemeys Tynte in the late 1760s, it was designed both to adorn his estate and to delight his guests with its clever theatrics and breathtaking views, which stretch across the Somerset Levels to the mountains of Wales beyond.

Approaching Robin Hood’s Hut through the woods, you come upon an apparently rustic cottage, with a thatched roof and bark-clad door, suggestive of fairy-tale hermits and witches. But don’t be fooled; once inside, the back door of the building can be flung open ceremoniously to reveal its glorious open vista, viewed from underneath the moulded dome of the building’s Gothic umbrello, or canopy.

As for the name? We’re not sure that Robin of Locksley ever visited this part of Somerset, so it probably has more to do with the 18th-century ideas of medieval freedom and romance that our legendary hero embodied.

Today, perched above one of the finest views in southern England, you’ll find a secluded hideaway for two present-day outlaws to live in freedom at the edge of the woods, far removed from the eyes of society – for a few blissful days, at least.

Robin Hood’s Hut has availability in September and throughout autumn. Head to our website to read more and book your stay.

📍Robin Hood’s Hut, Somerset
🛌 Sleeps 2
🐕 Dogs welcome
🔗 Read more and book: https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/properties/robin-hoods-hut/

Tucked away at the top of the Egyptian House with views over town to St Michael’s Mount, this cosy third-floor apartment...
20/08/2026

Tucked away at the top of the Egyptian House with views over town to St Michael’s Mount, this cosy third-floor apartment is often cited as our guests’ favourite of the three.

With two bright bedrooms, skylights and one of the best window seats in town, it’s the perfect vantage point from which to watch the street below and the ships beyond. Our recent redecoration brings in the Cornish blue of the sea and sky mingled, of course, with touches of Ancient Egypt. You’ll need to climb a few more stairs to get here, but once the door closes you’ll be rewarded with your own little sanctuary up in the higgledy-piggledy rooftops of Penzance.

The Egyptian House dates from around 1835 and is a noble survivor of a style that became fashionable in Europe after Napoleon’s campaign in Egypt. We’ve recently repainted the building’s iconic façade, repaired its joinery and redecorated all three apartments. See our last two posts to explore floors one and two – and head to our website to book your stay.

📍The Egyptian House, Penzance
Read more and book: https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/search-and-book/landmark-groups/egyptian-house/

Photos: Emily Marshall

On the second floor of the Egyptian House, this two-bedroom apartment is one of three Landmarks set behind an extraordin...
19/08/2026

On the second floor of the Egyptian House, this two-bedroom apartment is one of three Landmarks set behind an extraordinary façade.

The Grade I listed building, which sits near the top of Chapel Street in the heart of Penzance, dates from about 1835, when the European Egyptian Revival was at its height. It was built for bookseller and mineralogist John Lavin as a museum and geological shop – its exotic frontage no doubt intended to draw in visitors and emphasise the bizarre and beautiful specimens to be found inside.

All three apartments in the Egyptian House have recently reopened following careful conservation and renovation works. The façade has been repainted and each apartment has been livened up with a complementary new colour scheme.

The Egyptian House, 2nd Floor sleeps four in two bedrooms and is the perfect base from which to explore everything that bustling Penzance and West Cornwall have to offer.

Explore all three Landmarks and book your stay: https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/search-and-book/landmark-groups/egyptian-house/

📍The Egyptian House, Penzance

Photos: Emily Marshall

On vibrant Chapel Street in the heart of Penzance, the Egyptian House is something of an icon. Dating from about 1835, i...
18/08/2026

On vibrant Chapel Street in the heart of Penzance, the Egyptian House is something of an icon. Dating from about 1835, it’s a rare and noble survivor of a style that became all the craze after Napoleon’s campaign in Egypt.

The house is made up of three apartments, all of which you can stay in, and all of which have recently reopened after a major spruce-up of the whole building.

Outside, the Egyptian House’s iconic frontage has been beautifully repainted (thanks to the knowledgeable team at Brian Jopson Painters and Decorators). The famous eagle, which presides over the street from the top of the building, shimmers magnificently in the sunlight after being treated to no fewer than 14 different shades of bronze paint.

Internally, we’ve livened up each apartment with a new colour scheme that coordinates with the building’s famous frontage, as well as improving shower rooms, kitchen facilities, and repairing doors and windows.

Here’s the first apartment. Located on the first floor of the building, with high ceilings and huge windows through which to observe the hustle and bustle on the street below, the apartment sleeps three guests in two bedrooms (a double and a single). We’ll share apartments two and three in the coming days.

Explore all three Landmarks and book your stay: https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/search-and-book/landmark-groups/egyptian-house/

📍 The Egyptian House, Penzance

Photos: Emily Marshall

Bookings are now open for our new Landmark, Bofors Tower.Read more and book: https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/properties...
18/08/2026

Bookings are now open for our new Landmark, Bofors Tower.

Read more and book: https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/properties/bofors-tower/

Hidden deep within a Kentish woodland, with Canterbury, Whitstable and the pleasures of the North Kent coast on the doorstep, Bofors Tower is our newest Landmark. This once-derelict WWII gun tower has been sensitively transformed into a bold retreat for four, through a thoughtful architectural scheme that preserves the building’s military past while providing comfortable, modern accommodation and a seamless connection with the woods outside.

Inside, you’ll find open-plan living spaces filled with natural light and striking architectural character. Upstairs, the original gun emplacement has become a fabulous room with panoramic treetop views and bed platforms where two guests can sleep among the woodland canopy. The former ammunition store is now a cosy main bedroom.

The bookings calendar for Bofors Tower is open now. Head to our website today to be among the first to stay – or secure your first choice of dates for 2027.

Thank you, Margaret Williams ♥️The Martello Tower in Aldeburgh, Suffolk was one of Margaret's local Landmarks and would ...
15/08/2026

Thank you, Margaret Williams ♥️

The Martello Tower in Aldeburgh, Suffolk was one of Margaret's local Landmarks and would have been a building she knew well.

When she passed away, we were honoured to be remembered in her will, and it seemed important to use her wonderful gift on a building familiar to her.

Margaret’s generosity has enabled extensive work to the building’s fabric, ensuring it remains an interesting place to experience and enjoy for successive visitors.

We are so thankful to every person who has remembered Landmark in their will. The foresight and generosity of these individuals will long be cherished and celebrated.

Read more about the buildings these kind gifts have helped to preserve at our website: https://brnw.ch/21x4WRI

Martello Tower will reopen to guests at the end of the month following its closure for important conservation works. Thank you, Margaret.

Catching breezes (and some shade) in our sheltered indoor/outdoor dining area at Astley Castle, where we’ve stitched gro...
13/08/2026

Catching breezes (and some shade) in our sheltered indoor/outdoor dining area at Astley Castle, where we’ve stitched groundbreaking accommodation into once-ruinous medieval walls.

The building was on the verge of collapse after a fire in 1978 and far beyond a conventional restoration project. We held an architectural competition to design a Landmark for the 21st century, where modern living accommodation was clasped within the shell of the ancient castle.

The restoration won the RIBA Stirling Prize for Architecture 2013 and continues to be one of our most popular Landmarks for group stays. It’s available over the upcoming bank holiday weekend, should you wish to pull up a seat at this very table.

📍Astley Castle, Warwickshire
🛌 Sleep 8
🐕 Dogs welcome
Read more and book: https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/properties/astley-castle/

Photo: Emily Marshall

We’re opening 20 of our Landmarks to the public in September, as part of Heritage Open Days, Doors Open Days and Cadw Cy...
12/08/2026

We’re opening 20 of our Landmarks to the public in September, as part of Heritage Open Days, Doors Open Days and Cadw Cymru Open Doors.

Open Days offer a wonderful chance to look around our properties in a relaxed and informal way, for free. There’ll be staff on hand to tell you the stories of the buildings, and activities to enjoy – like workshops and live music.

Some highlights of next month’s Open Days include Lego workshops at Astley Castle, live choir performances at The Grange and the chance to meet alpacas at Llwyn Celyn. September also sees Silverton Park Stables’ first-ever Open Day since its restoration in 2008, as well as the 250th anniversary of industrial transformation in the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. There, you can step inside our cottage on North Street, the first industrial housing in the world.

Find our full programme of September Open Days and book your free places at our website: https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/news-and-events/opendays/

Follow The Landmark Trust Engagement Team for more Open Day news and updates.

All of our Landmarks are spellbinding in their own way, but some have that extra sprinkle of individuality that can make...
10/08/2026

All of our Landmarks are spellbinding in their own way, but some have that extra sprinkle of individuality that can make a stay feel truly transportive.

Here are just a handful of our stranger places to escape the everyday, with many more waiting to be discovered on our website.

Browse unusual places to stay:
https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/search-and-book/holiday-ideas/unusual-places-to-stay/

📍The Pigsty
📍The House of Correction
📍Gothic Temple
📍Cobham Dairy
📍Coed y Bleiddiau
📍St Winifred’s Well
📍The Pineapple
📍The Bath House

Address

Shottesbrooke
Maidenhead
SL63SW

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+441628825925

Website

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