Want to live the Downton Abbey life? The stately homes you can book into, from Badminton to Cliveden House

For those of us whose ancestors failed to hover close enough to Charles II’s court as he doled out titles, visiting a stately pile can have the Brideshead effect: a wide-eyed, dry-mouthed ogle at the architectural splendour, the watercolour gardens and sheer grandeur of it all. And though most of these family seats have fallen under the auspices of the stanchion-obsessed National Trust, a clever few have mobilised their whopping assets and marched into the 21st century, roof and seat fully intact.

Read more: Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale review — a sparkling nostalgia lobotomy