CATEGORY · A HUDDLEPIN LIST
Castles, Historic Houses & Heritage in Sheffield
In the city itself, Sheffield Manor Lodge has Tudor ruins, a lavender labyrinth and a sandpit, and it's free to visit with a tram link laid on. Bishops' House in Meersbrook Park is another free one, a Jacobean house with timber-framed rooms and a playground right next door. Sheffield Cathedral costs nothing either, and there are lion sculptures worked into the building to hunt down. Out at Elsecar, the heritage centre is a free wander round shops and cafes rather than a house, with two tea rooms if the weather turns. For toddlers, Sheffield Manor Lodge and Bishops' House keep things free and manageable. For a bigger day out, Chatsworth (a drive out to Bakewell, from £10, ages 3 to 16) has a woodland playground with slides and water play alongside the gardens. Bolsover Castle, a drive out to Bolsover, has a play castle outside but 107 steps inside for older legs. Mr Straw's House in Worksop only takes four people per tour, so book ahead if that's the one.
19 places 3 upcoming events 7 free to visit
What's on: castles, historic houses & heritage
Places for castles, historic houses & heritage
from £4.50Bakewell Old House Museum
Bakewell
A 500 year old tithe house in Bakewell where kids follow trails through eleven creaky rooms hunting for rats and dolls' houses.
Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingDog friendly+3 more
FreeBishops' House
Sheffield
A free Jacobean house in Meersbrook Park where kids can poke round old timber-framed rooms then hit the playground next door.
Group bookingsSchool visits
Bolsover Castle Visitor Centre & Café
Bolsover
A hilltop castle with a wooden play castle outside, a dressing up box, and 107 steps to climb inside the real one.
Accessible toiletBaby changeBlue badge parkingCafé+11 more
from £0.70Castle Hill
Huddersfield
Climb Victoria Tower on top of Castle Hill for the view over Huddersfield, and change for coins at the door.
Public transport nearbySchool visits
from £10Chatsworth
Bakewell · ages 3-16
A vast garden of fountains and sculpture to roam, a farmyard for animal handling, and a woodland playground with big slides and water play.
Accessible toiletBooking requiredCaféDog friendly+8 more
FreeCromford Mills
Cromford, Derbyshire
A free mill yard, shops and exhibition, with paid tours telling the story of the world's first water powered cotton mill.
CaféGift shopPicnic area
FreeCusworth Hall Museum
Doncaster
Free entry to a Georgian hall with walking trails, play areas and a peek at the Great Kitchen and chapel paintings.
Blue badge parkingCard onlyDog friendlyFood on site+4 more
FreeElsecar Heritage Centre
Elsecar
A free wander round shops, cafés and a heritage site, with a beer tap and two tea rooms to fall back on.
Accessible toiletBaby changeBike parkingBlue badge parking+7 more
from £23.60Haddon Hall
Bakewell · ages 0-15
A medieval manor with terraced gardens to explore, kids get in free and there's archery some summer Tuesdays.
ToiletsCaféGift shopParking
from £3Hardwick Hall
Chesterfield
Parkland picnic, woodland play trails and Bess of Hardwick's famous house - kids wider-estate tickets from £3.
ToiletsAccessible toiletBaby changeCafé+8 more
from £4.50Mr Straw's House
Worksop · ages 5+
A 1920s house left exactly as one family kept it, seen on small pre-booked tours of just four people at a time.
Bike parkingBooking requiredFree parkingGift shop+9 more
from £14National Tramway Museum
Matlock
Ride vintage trams down a rebuilt period street, then loose the kids in a woodland sculpture trail while you eat into a free return visit.
Free parkingParkingGift shopFood on site+6 more
from £18Newstead Abbey
Ravenshead
A 300-acre estate near Nottingham with a play park, trails and a house walkthrough, kids go free with a paying adult.
Baby changeBooking requiredBottle warmingBreastfeeding friendly+13 more
from £7Nostell
Wakefield
NT house and parkland near Wakefield - gardens, woodland play and tea-room for a full day.
Accessible toiletBaby changeCaféChanging Places+7 more
FreePontefract Castle
Pontefract
Ruined castle ruins to scramble round for free, with a playground, dungeon tours and a café that lets dogs in too.
Accessible toiletBike parkingBreastfeeding friendlyCafé+4 more
FreeSheffield Cathedral
Sheffield
Free to wander round, with lion sculptures to hunt down and a guided tour if you want the real story of the building.
Accessible toiletBaby changeCaféGift shop+5 more
FreeSheffield Manor Lodge
Sheffield
Tudor ruins, a lavender labyrinth and a sandpit to dig in, with school holiday trails and free tram links from Sheffield.
Accessible toiletAllergy awareBlue badge parkingCafé+9 more
Thoresby Park
Newark
Newark - Thoresby Park estate with play park, courtyard cafe, woodland walks and a free military museum.
Booking requiredCaféGift shopIndoor play+6 more
from £1Wortley Top Forge
Sheffield · ages 0-16
A working water-powered forge with real waterwheels turning, plus a miniature steam railway to ride round the site.
Accessible toiletBaby changePicnic areaPicnics allowed+1 more
Good to know: castles, historic houses & heritage in Sheffield
Are any of them free?
Yes, Bishops' House, Cromford Mills, Cusworth Hall Museum, Elsecar Heritage Centre and 3 more are free to visit.
What does a paid visit cost?
Paid entry starts from £0.70 at Castle Hill. Prices, ages and facilities are listed on every place page, taken from each venue's own published price list.
Which ones are indoor?
Cromford Mills, Haddon Hall, Mr Straw's House and Sheffield Cathedral are indoor, good to keep up your sleeve for a rainy day.
Whereabouts are they?
You'll find castles, historic houses & heritage in Bakewell, Sheffield, Bolsover, Huddersfield, Cromford and 9 more. Every place we list is in or around Sheffield, and each listing has the full address and directions.
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