Suitable late Tudor or early Stuart properties are not two a penny, as we have discovered. A few more are beginning to materialise, thanks mainly to the work of local government museum departments, and we have started to appear at some of these. In the meantime, we must make do with repeat visits to old favourites, among which are:

English Heritage

• Aydon Castle, Northumberland
• Lyddington Bede House, Leicestershire
• Muchelney Abbey, Somerset

The National Trust

• East Riddlesden Hall, West Yorkshire
• Gawthorpe Hall, Lancashire
• Little Moreton Hall, Cheshire
• Lodge Park (Gloucestershire)
• Moseley Old Hall, Staffordshire
• Speke Hall, Lancashire

Local Government

• The Ancient High House, Stafford
• Blakesley Hall, Birmingham
• Donington-le-Heath Manor House, Leicestershire
• The Old House, Hereford

Private Trust or privately owned

• Selly Manor, Birmingham
• Skipton Castle, North Yorkshire
• Sulgrave Manor, Northamptonshire

We realise that not all of these buildings are Tudor or Stuart. For example, Lyddington and Muchelney were originally medieval church buildings, but both were converted for secular domestic use in the 16th or 17th centuries, and so can be considered usable in our context. We will always be delighted to consider any other venues. New challenges keep us and our ideas fresh!