12 Best Sights in The South, England

This unassuming redbrick house is where Jane Austen spent the last eight years of her life, writing Emma, Persuasion, and Mansfield Park, and revising Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, and Pride and Prejudice. Now a museum, the house retains a modest but genteel atmosphere suitable for the home of a clergyman's widow and her unmarried daughters. The drawing room contains a piano similar to the one Jane would play every morning before retiring to a small writing table in the family dining parlor—leaving her sister, Cassandra, to do the household chores ("I find composition impossible with my head full of joints of mutton and doses of rhubarb," Jane wrote). In the early 19th century, the road near the house was a bustling thoroughfare, and although Jane was famous for working through interruptions, she retained one protection against the outside world—the famous creaking door, its hinges deliberately un-oiled to better warn her when someone was entering her workspace. The museum is often closed for special events, so call ahead.

The family seat of the Marquesses of Bath, Longleat House is one of southern England's most famous stately homes, and possibly the most ambitiously, even eccentrically, commercialized, as evidenced by the presence of a drive-through safari park (open since 1966) with giraffes, zebras, gorillas, monkeys, rhinos, and lions. A two-hour, first-come, first-served Safari Bus tour of the park is provided twice daily (£8). The house, considered to be one of the finest remaining examples of High Elizabethan, was largely completed in 1580 for more than £8,000, an astronomical sum at the time. It contains outstanding tapestries, paintings, porcelain, furniture, and one of the largest private collections of books in England (more than 40,000 volumes housed in seven libraries). Notable period features include Victorian kitchens, painted ceilings, and an Elizabethan great hall with massive wooden beams and a minstrels' gallery. You can wander at will or take one of the specialized one-hour guided tours (such as the "Rooftop" tour or the "Scandalous History" tour) for an extra fee. In addition to 900 acres of parkland designed by Capability Brown, plus formal and pleasure gardens and the safari park, the property has a miniature steam railway, a koala family, an extensive (and fairly fiendish) hedge maze, a "jungle cruise" past a colony of lowland gorillas, and an "adventure castle," all of which makes it extremely popular, particularly in summer and during school vacations. Be sure to book your tickets online before you visit. You can stay at one of seven cottages on site (from £375).

This palazzo-style Italianate house, much of it designed by Prince Albert in collaboration with Thomas Cubitt, was the royal family's private retreat and Queen Victoria's favorite residence. The house reveals Albert's interest in engineering through clever innovations like an early form of central heating, as well as Victoria's determination to give her children a normal but disciplined upbringing. After Albert's death in 1861, the queen retreated to Osborne to mourn her loss in relative seclusion, and the antiques-filled rooms have scarcely been altered since she died here in 1901. The house and extensive grounds (also designed by Albert)—which can be quite crowded during July and August—were used as a location for the 2019 television series Victoria. From June to September, a minibus can take you to Victoria's private beach, now open to the public, where you can see her personal bathing machine. Another minibus goes to the Swiss Cottage, a replica Alpine chalet built as a playhouse for Victoria and Albert's nine children; there are also two playgrounds for young children on-site. Book ahead for guided tours of the house and gardens. Buses 4 (from Ryde) and 5 (from Cowes and Newport) stop outside.

This is considered to be one of the loveliest stately homes in England and, along with its grounds, a fine example of the English Palladian style. The seat of the earls of Pembroke since Tudor times, the south wing of the current building was rebuilt in the early 17th century by Isaac de Caus, with input from Inigo Jones, Ben Jonson's stage designer and the architect of London's Banqueting House. It was completed by James Webb, again with input from Jones, Webb's uncle-by-marriage, after the recently finished south wing was ravaged by fire in 1647. Most noteworthy are the seven state rooms in the south wing, among them the Single Cube Room (built as a perfect 30-foot cube) and, one of the most extravagantly beautiful rooms in the history of interior decoration, the aptly named Double Cube Room. The name refers to its proportions (60 feet long by 30 feet wide and 30 feet high), evidence of Jones's classically inspired belief that beauty in architecture derives from harmony and balance. The room's headliner is the spectacular van Dyck portrait of the Pembroke family. Elsewhere at Wilton House, the art collection includes several other Old Master paintings, including works by Rembrandt and members of the Brueghel family. Another exhibition is devoted to Cecil Beaton's photo portraits of 20th-century notables and the current Lord Pembroke's collection of classic cars. Also of note are the 22 acres of lovely grounds, which have sweeping lawns dotted with towering oaks; the gardens; and the Palladian bridge crossing the small River Nadder, designed by the ninth earl after the Rialto Bridge in Venice. Some public rooms may be closed on some open days—check website for more information.

Largely unchanged since it was built in 1485, this outstandingly well-preserved example of domestic Tudor architecture (with 16th- and 20th-century additions) turns up as "Athelhall" in some of Thomas Hardy's writings (Hardy was a frequent visitor and his father, a stonemason, worked on roof repairs here). Don't miss the Tudor-era Great Hall, still with its original linenfold paneling, heraldic stained glass, and vaulted "hammer-beam" timber roof. The paneled Library contains more than 3,000 books. Outside, 20 acres of grounds include eight formal walled gardens created in the 19th century and 12 yew pyramids, each 30 feet high.

With a ruined 13th-century abbey, a stately home, and an automobile museum, Beaulieu appeals to several different interests. Beaulieu Abbey was founded in 1204 by Cistercian monks on land given to them by King John (the name means "beautiful place" in French). You can still see the ruins of the cloister and the herb garden, as well as two remaining buildings, one containing an exhibition re-creating daily life in the monastery. Palace House and Gardens incorporates the abbey's original 14th-century gatehouse and has been the home of the Montagu family since they purchased it in 1538, after the dissolution of the monasteries when the abbey was badly damaged. You can explore the drawing rooms, dining halls, fine family portraits, and the beautiful grounds. The father of the present Lord Montagu established the National Motor Museum, which traces the history of British motoring. The collection contains more than 280 classic cars and motorcycles, from late-19th-century vehicles to futuristic F1 racing cars, rally cars, and luxury cars, plus famous film cars like the flying Ford Anglia from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and James Bond's Aston Martin from No Time to Die. Other museum attractions include interactive experiences, audiovisual displays, the World of Top Gear exhibit devoted to the popular British TV show, and rides in vehicles ranging from a monorail to a 1912 London bus. Admission is by pre-booked time slot only.

This 60-room Palladian mansion located on 5,000 acres near the town of Romsey was home to 19th-century British Prime Minister Lord Palmerston and later Earl Mountbatten of Burma (1900–79), uncle of Prince Philip (who spent his honeymoon here with Queen Elizabeth II) and mentor to King Charles III. As the last viceroy of India, Mountbatten was in charge of that country's transition to independence before being killed by the IRA. One of the grandest houses in Hampshire, Broadlands dates back to the 18th century and holds a large collection of antiques, Greek and Roman marbles, and Old Master paintings, including three van Dycks. Landscape designer Capability Brown laid out the grounds, which include wide lawns sweeping down to the banks of the River Test. The only way to see the house is through a one-hour guided tour. There are also regular outdoor concerts on the grounds featuring artists ranging from Elton John to Katie Melua and UB40.

This brick-and-tile cottage served as the retreat of T. E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, before he was killed in a motorcycle accident on the road from Bovington in 1935. The house remains very much as he left it, with photos and memorabilia from his time in the Middle East. It's particularly atmospheric on a gloomy day, as there's no electric light. Clouds Hill is 8 miles northwest of Corfe. Admission is by pre-booked guided tour only.

Thomas Hardy's grandfather built this small thatch-and-cob cottage, where the writer was born in 1840, and little has changed since the family left. Here Hardy grew up and wrote many of his early works, including Far from the Madding Crowd, at a desk you can still see. Access is by foot only, via a walk through ancient woodland or down a country lane from the parking lot, where there's a visitor center with information about the surrounding landscape and trails that let you follow in Hardy's footsteps. Admission is by pre-booked guided tour only.

Originally built in the 17th century by the Royalist family that fled from Corfe Castle, this grand country house was remodeled in the 19th century by Sir Charles Barry, co-architect of the Houses of Parliament in London, in the style of a lavish 18th-century Venetian palazzo. It contains notable paintings by Titian, Rubens, van Dyck, Tintoretto, and Velásquez as well as a dazzling Spanish Room lined in gilded leather and topped by an ornate gilded ceiling from an early 17th-century Venetian palace. The library has some 1,450 volumes dating from before 1801. There's also a fine collection of Egyptian artifacts, the largest private collection in the country, many placed in the landscaped gardens originally laid out in the 18th century (there's also a Japanese garden with a teahouse) and extensive parklands with walking paths. Admission is by timed guided tour ticket only.

Thomas Hardy lived in Max Gate from 1885 until his death in 1928. An architect by profession, Hardy designed the handsome Victorian house himself, and visitors can now see the study where he wrote Tess of the d'Urbervilles, The Mayor of Casterbridge, and Jude the Obscure. The dining room, the drawing room, and the garden (complete with a small cemetery for the family pets, some with headstones carved by Hardy himself) are open to the public. Admission is by pre-booked guided tour only.

A perfect example of Queen Anne architecture, this family home, built in 1701, sits on the north side of Cathedral Close. It's notable for magnificent plasterwork, an exceptionally carved oak staircase, fine period furniture, and a superb collection of 18th-century drinking glasses. Tea and refreshments are served in a walled garden. Admission is by pre-booked tour only.