Treasure Houses of Britain

This is not just about some of the world’s best-loved buildings, spectacular as they are; it is about the treasures within that tell a human story, from the tapestries which the First Duke of Marlborough commissioned to celebrate his triumph at the Battle of Blenheim, to the Italian pietra dura cabinet which the Medicis gave to the owners of Burghley – the greatest Elizabethan house in England

Selina explores Chatsworth in Derbyshire, the celebrated seat of the Dukes of Devonshire. Built by Bess of Hardwick and transformed across generations, the house reveals richly decorated state apartments, family portraits, historic treasures, and one of Britain’s most famous country-house landscapes.

At Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, Selina looks at the monumental home built for John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, after his victory at the Battle of Blenheim. The episode explores the palace as both a national tribute and a family seat, with treasures including battle tapestries, grand interiors, and connections to Winston Churchill, who was born there in 1874.

Selina tours Holkham Hall in Norfolk, a Palladian mansion created for Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester. Inspired by Coke’s travels through Europe, the house was designed to hold his collection of art, sculpture, books, manuscripts, and classical treasures, and remains in the care of his descendants.

Selina visits Boughton House, often called the “English Versailles,” home of the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry. The episode explores a superbly preserved collection built across generations, from tapestries and gilt furniture to Van Dyck paintings and Boulle cabinets, while also showing how the current family continues to add to the house’s legacy.