No tour of Avebury could be considered complete without a trip to see the beautiful Manor House with its formal gardens to the front. The present buildings date from the early 16th century and were of a monastic origin. Like all other buildings within the National Trust’s site here, the Manor House played an important role as the major structure of the farm whose other outbuildings now form the Keiller Museum.

The house is built over three floors and it’s clear to see from the exterior the newer wings and extensions that have been added since it was initially constructed. Although the house is owned by the NT, it is occupied and furnished by private leaseholders who allow access to a part of it. To allow them to go about their domestic business, the house is therefore only open to the public on a restricted basis. This limits numbers on the guided tours which run every 40 minutes from 2pm till 4.40pm but only on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays. If the weather is particularly wet, then the house and gardens will usually stay closed. The gardens are open from 11am until 5pm from Fridays through till Tuesdays, from April 1st till October 31st as is the house. I had the misfortune to call on a Wednesday and thus was not able to visit either.

Not all was lost though and decent views of the house and gardens are to be had from various vantage points by the Stables Gallery. On a supernatural note, the Manor is reputedly one of most haunted properties in Wiltshire and has several ghosts in residence. These include a Royalist former owner of the Manor who apparently haunts the Cavalier Room, Sir John Stawell who killed himself after losing his possessions in the Civil War, and whose imminent presence is accompanied by the strong scent of roses, and the White Lady, the spirit of a young girl who threw herself from an upstairs window after the death of her lover, again during the Civil War. She has also been seen following visitors through the gardens on many occasions.

The gardens were laid out in Edwardian times and boast some handsome features including some elegant topiary work. Some of the borders and hedges follow old medieval walls that still exist within the garden. Favourite with many visitors are the rose garden and the lavender walk.

To the front of the Stables Gallery is part of the old farmyard complete with its small pond to the rear of which is a charming, stone built dovecote, still in remarkable condition. The doves have long since flown and the cote is not open to visitors. But it makes an interesting and unusual photograph particularly with the church steeple, the house and the Stables Gallery all close by, forming a superb rural scene. For further information please email the Estate Office on avebury@nationaltrust.org.uk. Entry is £3.50 per adult.