The UK is a popular tourist destination for people all over the world, who come to visit the many attractions and landmarks that the country has to offer. The UK also has a lot of royalty, celebrities and notable people, and their homes are often tourist attractions! It is possible to visit some of the homes of the rich and famous, both past and present, while visiting many areas of the UK. Below we’ll explore some of the best homes you can explore with famous connections in London, Lancashire, Kent and Oxfordshire.
King Charles III, Buckingham Palace, London
One of the most popular tourist destinations in the UK is London, which is home to some of the world’s most famous landmarks and attractions. However, London isn’t just a place for tourists – it’s also home to many rich and famous people, who live in some of the most expensive homes in Britain. Some of these homes are open to visitors who want to get a glimpse into what life is like for those at the top of British society, including the royal family.
Buckingham Palace in London is perhaps one of the most famous buildings in the UK. Formerly a royal home to Queen Elizabeth II, and today a royal working palace and London residence for current King Charles III, both of whom make the list in this article about the most famous UK pensioners. If you’d like to visit the London home of these famous monarchs of our time, you can book a tour of Buckingham Palace via the Royal Collection Trust website.
The RCT website offers private guided tours on selected dates throughout the year. They say “With gilded ceilings and glittering chandeliers, the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace provide a perfect setting for many of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection, including Sèvres porcelain, and some of the finest English and French furniture in the world. In the company of an expert guide, you will be taken on a tour through these magnificent rooms when the Palace is not usually open to the public.”
The Beatles’ childhood homes, Liverpool, Lancashire
The Beatles were a British band that rose to fame in the 1960s and are considered one of the most influential bands in history. Some of their childhood homes can be visited by fans who want to learn more about their early lives.
If you’re visiting Liverpool, then you can step back in time and visit two of the band members childhood homes: Sir Paul McCartney and John Lennon. Paul McCartney’s childhood home has been called “the birthplace of The Beatles”.
Both of these homes are now owned by the National Trust and are open to the public for tours. Visitors can see the bedrooms where the band members slept and the living rooms where they spent time with their families. These homes provide an interesting glimpse into the early lives of The Beatles and are a must-see for fans of the band.
Here are the locations and the key features from the National Trust website:
- Mendips, 251 Menlove Avenue, 251 Menlove Ave, Liverpool L25 7SA
“The childhood home of John Lennon, kept as it was when he lived there with his house-proud Aunt Mimi, in the 1950s.”
- 20 Forthlin Road, Liverpool, L18 9TN
“The childhood home of Paul McCartney. Smaller and plainer than Mendips, but filled with memories of the Beatles’ early days.”
National Trust members get a large discount on the entry prices and tours, but you must book in advance via the National Trust website as linked above. Not yet a National Trust member? Here’s a hack to save money when signing up. To get a discount on your National Trust annual membership when you first sign up, check out TopCashback as they often have a great deal. Use my link to sign up to TopCashback for free and see the latest saving at National Trust.
Sir Winston Churchill, Oxfordshire and Kent
There are two historic houses that can be visited with connections to Sir Winston Churchill:
1. Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire
Blenheim Palace is a large country house in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, built in the early 18th century. This palace is the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is open to the public for tours and events.
“Winston Churchill was an inspirational statesman, writer, orator and leader who led Britain to victory in the Second World War” – gov.uk
The palace is open to the public for tours and events, and it is a popular tourist attraction in Oxfordshire. It is set in over 2000 acres of parkland, which includes formal gardens, a lake, and a woodland trail.
2. Chartwell, Westerham, Kent
Chartwell is a country house in Kent, England, that was once the home of Sir Winston Churchill. The house is located in the town of Westerham, and it is now owned by the National Trust.
Churchill and his wife, Clementine, lived at Chartwell for over 40 years, and the house contains many personal items and mementos of Churchill’s life. Visitors to Chartwell can tour the house and see the rooms where Churchill lived and worked, including his study where he wrote many of his famous speeches.
The house is surrounded by beautiful gardens, which Churchill himself designed and planted. Chartwell is open to the public for tours, and it is a popular tourist attraction in Kent.
Here are some of the key features from the National Trust website:
House: “Home of Sir Winston Churchill and his family. Filled with treasures, gifts and personal belongings, presented as they knew it.”
Rose Garden: “Formal rose garden designed by Lady Churchill. Leads into the terrace lawn with views over surrounding estate and countryside.”
Walled Garden: “Working kitchen garden, with walls built by Winston Churchill. Surrounded by apple orchard and wildflower meadow.”
Jimi Hendrix, London
Although he was born in America, 23 Brook Street in Mayfair, London was the residence of legendary rock musician Jimi Hendrix during the late 1960s. The flat has been preserved as a museum and is open to the public for visits.
The museum features a range of exhibits related to Hendrix’s life and career, including a recreation of the flat as it would have looked during his time living there. The museum also contains a number of artifacts and memorabilia from Hendrix’s life, including some of his famous guitars.
Visitors to the museum can learn about Hendrix’s life and music, and get a glimpse into the world of one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century.
Charles Dickens, London
The former residence of Charles Dickens in London is now a museum dedicated to the famous author and his works. The museum is located at 48 Doughty Street, London, WC1N 2LX, and was the home of Dickens from 1837 to 1839.
The museum features a range of exhibits related to Dickens’s life and works, including original manuscripts, letters, and personal items belonging to the author. The museum also contains a recreation of Dickens’s study, as well as a number of exhibits about the Victorian era in which he lived.
Visitors to the museum can learn about Dickens’s life and works, and get a glimpse into the world of one of the most famous and influential authors in history. The Dickens Museum say:
“Today the Charles Dickens Museum is set up as though Dickens himself had just left. It appears as a fairly typical middle-class Victorian home, complete with furnishings, portraits and decorations which are known to have belonged to Dickens. A visit to the museum allows you to step back into 1837 and to see a world which is at once both intimately familiar, yet astonishingly different. A world in which one of the greatest writers in the English language, found his inspiration.”
