Alan visits 16th-century Derbyshire mansion Hardwick Hall, once the home of Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury, commonly known as Bess of Hardwick. From humble beginnings, she amassed great wealth, land and a title.
Alan visits Stowe in Buckinghamshire, featuring an impressive landscape garden of late 18th-century Britain and the site of a well-known public school.
The story of Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, famed for his parties and lavish lifestyle; Alan learns about the Baron's younger sister Alice, and we see where she lived. We also see the very modern "Flint House", built by the current Baron de Rothschild.
Alan visits a few facilities that the National Trust now own but were formerly Workhouses where adults and children who were very poor or had committed petty crimes were sent. We see what they were fed, awful food that lacked nutrition, and folk were expected to work long hours on that. The buildings are very stark and look like prisons. The punishments were severe and spouses were separated as well as children from adults.
Alan Titchmarsh explores a unique and beautiful estate in Northumberland, Cragside, landscaped by inventor and industrialist Lord William Armstrong. The property is on the edge of a Crag with 7 million trees that were planted in the 1800s. Here we see the first room in the world lit by incandescent lighting. He introduced Hydro electricity. William Armstrong arrived there in 1863. The house has many Arts and Crafts features.
