Our Great British Houses series continues with another gem of The National Trust’s collection. About 10 miles from the centre of London is one of the most magnificent houses of Stuart England, Ham House. This lavish mansion is a treasure trove of 17th century art and architecture, a dazzling red-brick jewel on the muddy banks of the River Thames.
But Ham House also has a remarkable history of espionage and secrets. During the tumultuous years of the English Civil War, the Commonwealth and the Restoration, Ham House lay at the heart of political conflict. In this documentary Alice Loxton discovers how the Murray family - led by a remarkable mother-daughter team of Catherine and Elizabeth Murray - survived this troublesome period. Despite being fiercely loyal to the crown - even ferrying secret letters to the exiled Charles II - the Murray’s also maintained a friendship with the Cromwell family. It was an audacious act of bravery, resilience and espionage.
Up Next in Season 1
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Stourhead: The Grand Tour
Kicking off our new series, Great British Houses, we join Alice Loxton and Dan Snow on a journey through one of the gems of the National Trust’s collection, the magnificent Stourhead.
In this documentary Alice and Dan set off on a whirlwind tour of the social and cultural movements which influen...
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Sissinghurst: A Garden of Love
In this second episode of our Great British Houses series:
In the heart of Kent is one of Britain’s most intriguing houses: Sissinghurst Castle Garden. Originally a grand Elizabethan manor, by the 20th century Sissinghurst had fallen into a ruinous state. Yet it was this wildness and disrepair wh... -
Queen Victoria's Favourite - Disraeli...
Hughenden - a beautiful house owned by the National Trust is set deep in the rolling greens of the Buckinghamshire countryside. This was the home of Queen Victoria’s favourite Prime Minister - Benjamin Disraeli. But Disraeli was so much more than a Queen's favourite. He was a writer, a performer,...
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