Penshurst Place & Gardens

Penshurst Place & Gardens is a Grade I listed historic house and 11-acre formal walled garden in Kent, with a proper dose of medieval history and period-drama credentials. Families can wander the gardens, explore selected rooms in the house, and have a look at the toy museum on site. The big wins here are the gardens, which reviewers repeatedly rave about, plus the sense of space and the well-informed volunteers. Parents also mention a good café, free parking and a surprisingly uncrowded feel even at weekends, which is always a small miracle. The main caveat is that only part of the castle/house is open, so the indoor visit is fairly short. That makes it better as a relaxed half-day or gentle full-day outing than a high-energy kids’ attraction, and younger children may not get as much out of the history-heavy bits.