Stantway Court

Stantway Court is a proper manor house sitting quietly in the Gloucestershire countryside near Westbury-on-Severn, the kind of place that rewards a bit of local knowledge. It's an unpretentious stately home - not one of those grand showpieces with armies of staff and gift shops, but a genuine working estate that gives you a genuine sense of how the landowning classes actually lived.

The house itself dates back centuries and retains real character: period rooms, original features, grounds that feel lived-in rather than manicured within an inch of their lives. If you're interested in English manor architecture or simply want to see how a family of means actually organised their daily lives, it's worth the diversion from Westbury-on-Severn.

This is more for history enthusiasts and architecture types than thrill-seeking families - there's no gift shop theatre here, just a house and its story. Allow a couple of hours if you're thorough; an hour if you're moving quickly. The approach drive alone gives you a sense of the estate's scale.

Stantway works well as part of a broader Gloucestershire sweep. Apple Orchard Camping just 0.7 miles away makes it genuinely convenient for campers exploring the Severn Valley. If you're based at any of the caravan sites within five or six miles - Passage Farm, West End Farm, or Severn Valley Touring - you could easily slot this into an afternoon. Call ahead first though; opening details aren't always crystal clear for smaller estates like this.