Mottisfont Abbey - Hampshire
Set amidst glorious countryside along the River Test, this 12th-century Augustinian priory was converted into a private house after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and still retains the spring or ‘font’ from which its name is derived. The abbey contains a drawing room decorated by Rex Whistler and Derek Hill’s 20th-century picture collection, but the key attraction is the grounds with magnificent trees, walled gardens and National Collection of Old-fashioned Roses, at their best in mid June.