Jane Austen spent the final eight years of her life at this 17th century manor house in Chawton, on the edge of the South Downs National Park. After living in Bath and Southampton, this stately home in Hampshire was the home for which Austen longed. She worked on her novels in the sitting room, hiding her texts from curious family members. The manor house also has a reference library where you can find different editions of Jane Austen's novels both old and new.

Mottisfont is a romantic stately home in Hampshire which has been lovingly looked after by the National Trust since 1957. It began life as a priory where Augustinian canons lived until 1536, the year King Henry VIII dissolved England's monasteries, and has housed some interesting tenants since. Mottisfont House has welcomed art exhibitions since resident Maud Russell lived there in the 1930s. Check the National Trust's website to find out more about up-and-coming arty events.

King John's House was one of the main buildings which made up a medieval complex at Romsey Heritage Centre. It contains rare bone flooring as well as graffiti cut into the plaster and a timber frame. On the upper floor you'll find a recreated gun shop, and on the lower a tea room we've heard the cream teas are out of this world. Romsey Heritage Centre also features gardens and fun events and exhibitions take place throughout the year.

This stately home began life as a Hampshire hunting lodge in 1688, and was rebuilt as a mansion after a fire destroyed the original building in 1900. Families of the 9th and 10th Earls have resided here and left behind them an exquisite collection of paintings, textiles and furniture. There is a chapel on-site which contains 'tripple-arch'd and diamonded' stained glass windows which inspired John Keats. Stansted is also home to a delightful light railway and hedge maze for the children to explore and a farm shop, café and garden centre to keep parents entertained.

Gilbert White was a pioneering English naturalist and ornithologist who collected over 400 plant and animal species along with his partner William Markwick. His stately home in Hampshire had been restored according to the descriptions from White's own correspondence. Gilbert White's House is also currently home to an exciting exhibition about the 19th century explorer Frank Oates, one of the first Europeans to set foot in Africa, Central America and North America. The gardens in bloom are a sight to behold and there's no shortage of cake in the tea parlour.