Country Homes & Interiors: April 2009

8 Places to make make a date with history

West Sussex, Amberley Castle, Near Arundel

Henry I, Elizabeth I and George V – almost every monarch in the history books has dropped in to Amberley Castle since it was built in 1100. Now a hotel with 19 antiques-furnished rooms, it has lost none of its medieval allure – the towering walls and formidable portcullis remain the wow factor.

Pack a stash of books and ditch the car keys, Amberley's estate streches to 12 acres of deepest Sussex so you won't need to venture far to appreciate the countryside. Horticulturists will admire the formal gardens adorned with pergolas, topiary and perennial borders planted in the 1920s. Peacocks and alpaca add an excotic note.

What to do: pack the plus-fours and gym shoes for golf, tennis and croquet...

Price from £155 for a double room per night.

Call Mr & Mrs Smith, 08450340700, mrandmrssmith.com