Cottesbrooke Hall

This totally lived-in house belongs to a distinguished whisky-distilling dynasty who keep the house and garden in immaculate shape.

The house is a Queen Anne gem of sensible proportions and contains a uniformly splendid collection of which the highlight is the remarkable collection of British Sporting Pictures.

Cottesbrooke is a bit further from Hambleton than many other great houses but it is well worth a detour especially if you are heading south west towards the M1, Oxford, or the Cotswolds and provides a good base for a visit to Coton Manor Gardens (see gardens).

(From Hambleton take the A508 south from Market Harborough and turn right at Kelmarsh for Cottesbrooke).