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This stunning 17th century estate was home to the Jones family for centuries and is now a real-life time capsule open to visitors

Near Moreton-in-Marsh in Oxfordshire sits a magnificent estate, which once belonged to the very same family for centuries.

Originally constructed as an enormous display of wealth and influence in the early 17th century, it has since transformed into a public space where visitors can explore and immerse themselves in British history.

Chastleton House remained a constant fixture within the same family for hundreds upon hundreds of years, as the estate continued to stay in their possession, handed down through the generations.

Today, the property stands in Oxfordshire as a genuine time capsule, barely altered, featuring an impressive great hall, gallery room and numerous collections that once belonged to the distinguished family.

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Guests can wander the grounds and take a guided tour of the rooms that contain countless memories for the Jones family.

One visitor wrote on TripAdvisor: “Beautiful house and gardens with discrete but attentive guides. From the entrance to the exit, a fantastic visit. A huge family home with a fascinating past.”

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Early history

It’s thought that some form of settlement has stood in Chastleton for over 1,000 years, but by the 16th century, the site of the house as we recognise it today was owned by the Catesby family.

That was until Walter Jones bought the land and previous house from Robert Catesby, and it remained within his family for 400 years.

He demolished what remained of the original property and constructed a stunning building in its place, completed in 1612.

His acquisition was intended to mirror his illustrious legal career, and he sought to establish himself as a country gentleman, having now become a landowner.

Throughout the following century, the Jones family continued to form unions with several well-established gentry families, helping to cement this standing.

The final direct descendant of Walter Jones, however, was Arthur Jones, who inherited the estate in 1813 and carried out some structural enhancements to the residence.

Following his death, the property stayed within the family, though not with a direct descendant; rather, it was handed down to a distant cousin by marriage named John Henry-Whitmore Jones.

The final chapter of this family tree’s ownership concluded in 1991, when the National Heritage Memorial Fund purchased Chastleton and transferred it to the care of the National Trust.

Regrettably for the final occupants, the expense of maintaining the building was becoming far too substantial.

Preservation

The National Heritage Memorial Fund acquired Chastleton in 1991, and the majority of its original contents remained precisely as they were before it was transferred to the National Trust.

In an effort to maintain that mystical ambience that can only be attributed to centuries of tales and memories on the grounds, there was a plan to preserve the house, not restore it.

With this, they merely repaired parts that were damaged, which took a total of six years, to ensure the building was structurally sound and stable.

The stunning home was later reopened for the public to witness all its magic up close in 1998.

Visiting

It’s thought that one of the true treasures of the house is the Long Gallery, boasting the longest-surviving barrel-vaulted ceiling in the country. Due to neglect, the plasterwork required some refurbishment, which occurred in 1904.

Part of the room’s splendour is attributed to the mask heads located at the west end of the room, extremely rare survivals from the 1600s era, believed to have been used as a weapon to ward off evil spirits.

Beyond the confines of the house lies a vast, impeccably maintained garden, offering a sense of tranquillity and relaxation. Contributing to this glory is the Jacobean Pleasure Garden, also known as the Best Garden – a name that speaks volumes about its beauty.

To fully appreciate it all, visitors can embark on the Wilderness Walk, designed to provide not just a soothing stroll around the gardens but also the very best views of the house and the ever-changing gardens through the seasons.

One recent visitor said: “The house is amazing, a time capsule of a grand country house decaying over the years, with the fantastic result of being able to see how things really were without Victorian (or other) alterations. And top tip, do enjoy the Chastleton Teas at the church right next door.”

The property welcomes visitors from mid-March onwards with opening hours of 1pm until 5pm. Adult admission is priced at £15, while children’s tickets cost £7.50 and families can purchase a ticket for £37.50.

Owning the smallest house in Britain comes with its fair share of history and responsibility, but the owner’s ancestor only bought it for a mere £20

Year in, year out, tourists flock to this seaside village to see what is known as Britain’s tiniest home, and day in, day out, its owner is still in shock at just how much attraction it continues to gain.

Jan Tyley inherited the little red house in Conwyn, Wales, from her mother’s cousin back in 2015, and over 10 years later, she is heading up a small business that continues to boom, all thanks to its unusually small size.

Measuring just 72 inches wide and 122 inches high, it holds the official World Record of being the smallest house within the British Isles – a phenomenon that draws in roughly 50-60,000 visitors each year.

The origins of the place sit way back in her family, when her great-great-grandfather bought it in 1891 as a letting property with a sitting tenant. Jan shared: “He was called Robert Jones, and the sitting tenant was called Robert Jones, which has created a lot of confusion over the years.”

Tenants of the past

Robert, the tenant, was a six-foot-three fisherman who was living there up until 1899, when the local council decided that it was not, in fact, a house fit for human habitation.

“I’m 5’7″, and I have to duck to go in, and I frequently forget to come out again,” Jan joked. “So you can imagine what a sore back he must have had.”

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There was no toilet, but instead a shared toilet with the cottages beside it, and so, they threatened to tear it down.

Disheartened and unsure what to do, the landlord was chatting to his friends at the pub, one of whom was the editor of the North Wales Weekly News, Roger Dawson, who suggested it may be the smallest in the country. This led them on a wild pursuit in which they travelled across the UK measuring numerous houses, after advertising the quest in newspapers.

In turn, the council agreed for it to stay put, but that nobody could actually live in it. “So being the enterprising chap, um, my great-great-grandfather said, ‘Well, I’ll turn it into a tourist attraction,'” Jan explained. In May 1900, it became a tourist attraction, and the family never looked back.

The building remains dressed as it was when it was last lived in in 1900, Jan confirmed. Unfortunately, being open to the public has meant they have seen a few items go missing over the years.

While it’s bursting with humorous stories and tales of those who once lived in this tiny abode, the reasoning for them inhabiting such an uncomfortably small space is a lot darker.

“It’s a real testament to the shortage of property in Conwy and how people wanted to live in a house of their own, because sadly the alternative was a poorhouse,” Jan explained.

“When Robert Jones, the last tenant, had to move out, that’s where he ended up. He was in the poorhouse, and sadly that’s where he died. So that’s why, although it’s tiny, people didn’t have a problem living there.”

During the 18th and 19th centuries in Wales, poorhouses were institutions designed for the less fortunate, with conditions made to be ‘prison-like’ in a bid to deter those in financial need from seeking help. Inhabitants were forced into rigid, segregated and often unsanitary living conditions, and so while the cottage was small, it was somewhere people could call their own.

According to records, there was shockingly a family of six all living within the tiny home – a mum and dad and four children. The little one’s beds were believed to be hammocks, which hooked on to the walls and sat in between the beams.

The house today

While the property remains in Jan’s hands, and with no looming threats from the council anytime soon, it continues to be a tourist attraction.

However, the one shift she has noticed in recent years is a rather unusual request, not from landlords or the council, but from YouTubers hoping to immerse themselves in the 1800s experience and share it online.

“I’ve had lots of YouTubers who say, ‘Oh, can we stay the night?’ and they think they’re the first one to think about it. Except, I probably get three or four of them a year.”

Although the house is closed during the winter, from March it is open seven days a week, from 10am right up until 4pm, and Jan has a team of people helping to keep the whole thing running.

“I have a team of eight lovely ladies who do the shift. So, we have two shifts a day. I take my turn on the door as well, but I live about half an hour’s drive away.”

Originally, Jan was living in Oxford, but after inheriting the property, she moved closer to the North Wales spot to take on its wealth of responsibilities.

But for her, it seems a worthwhile decision. She said: “It never ceases to surprise me how many people come to see it each year and from all over the world, which is amazing.

“I’m still amazed at how many people do come through our doors. We probably could get more if we were bigger, but then that wouldn’t be the point.”

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Currently, approximately 90,000 properties across the Balearic Islands are owned by foreign nationals

British purchasers could find themselves locked out of some of Spain’s most desirable locations under proposals to prohibit non-residents from buying properties.

Lawmakers in Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza, the Balearic Islands, are set to consider legislation that would prevent property acquisitions by anyone who hasn’t resided on the islands for at least five years. The measure, put forward by Left-wing party Més per Mallorca, is directly targeting overseas purchasers – including thousands of Britons who acquire holiday homes in the Mediterranean sunshine.

Currently, approximately 90,000 properties across the Balearic Islands are owned by foreign nationals – representing 16% of all housing stock. Additionally, nearly 12,000 Spanish properties were purchased by British buyers in 2024, according to property portal Idealista.

Activists argue that the extent of foreign ownership is eroding local communities and making housing unaffordable for residents. The islands attracted 19 million tourists last year, intensifying frustration about excessive tourism and the transformation of residential properties into holiday rentals and second homes.

Lluís Apesteguia, MP for Més per Mallorca, said “extraordinary measures were necessary” to tackle the pressures. He said: “We have to prioritise the houses that are for living in – not for those who want to speculate and continue with this game of Monopoly.”

If given the green light, the measure could serve as a template for similar restrictions across other parts of Spain. Advocates highlight Denmark’s regulations, which require UK-born buyers to have resided in the country for at least five consecutive years before purchasing property.

Opposition parties remain doubtful the plan would withstand legal challenge. Sebastià Sagreras, spokesman for Centre-Right party People’s Party (PP), said EU regulations meant the plans “cannot be fulfilled” and confirmed his party would vote against them.

Marc Pons of Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) said that whilst the policy could ease price rises, the regional government could “not rely solely on this solution to the problems”.

The debate comes against a backdrop of soaring property values. The average price of a 90-square-metre home in the Balearics has climbed to €461,269 (£403,265) up from €283,825 (£248142) in 2020 – a rise of more than 62%. Foreign buyers accounted for 13.8% of all Spanish property sales last year, totalling almost 97,300 transactions – a record for non-Spanish nationals, according to Idealista.

Ferran Rosa, MP in the Balearic parliament, said: “Housing is certainly the largest problem for Mallorcans, as prices have been rising for years and more and more houses are devoted to non-residential uses.

“Our plan is to ensure that houses are used for living, rather than ‘tourist’ uses, considering second homes for non-residents a tourist use. In this respect, we base our bill in similar regulations existing across the EU that intend to guarantee the right to housing.”

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