Waddesdon Manor

Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild built Waddesdon between 1874 and 1885, a French Renaissance-style château by the architect Gabriel-Hippolyte Destailleur on a bare Buckinghamshire hill, made to hold his collection and to entertain. The first house party was held in 1883, and the Prince of Wales became a regular guest. The house passed to the National Trust in 1957 and the Rothschild Foundation runs it today, with the family still closely involved.

The Manor now opens its interiors and gardens for a limited number of private celebrations. The White Drawing Room, with its tall windows over the Victorian parterre, takes a ceremony, a reception or a long dinner. The Blue Dining Room, hung with an Ingo Maurer chandelier, is kept for smaller groups. Below the house, the cellars hold more than 15,000 bottles and seat up to 40 for a private tasting or dinner among the Rothschild wines.

Outside, the restored cast-iron Aviary of 1889 makes a ceremony setting, and the grounds are taken from 6pm for the largest events, with the house team naming a capacity of up to 1,000 guests. Catering comes from the house's approved list of event caterers, and they pour wines from the Rothschild family's own estates. The Five Arrows, the estate's hotel at the gates, takes the house party overnight.