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TOP 10 NATIONAL TRUST HOUSES
BBC Countryfile Magazine
|September 2023
Visit a real-life Downton Abbey at England's 10 most majestic country houses
Cliveden, Buckinghamshire Scandalously luxurious
Built in 1666 by the 2nd Duke of Buckingham as a lavish gift for his mistress, Cliveden has famously passed through the hands of dukes, earls, viscounts and even a prince. However, the house is most associated with one family - the Astors. William Waldorf Astor was the richest man in America when he paid $1.2m for the house in 1893. He was made First Viscount Astor and his daughter-in-law, Nancy Astor, became the first woman in the UK to take a seat as an MP.
This story is from the September 2023 edition of BBC Countryfile Magazine.
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