British wonders: 22 Windsor Castle

Location: Windsor, Berkshire, south-east England
What’s the damage? Adult £8-14.80
Arguably the largest and longest-occupied castle in the world, Windsor is an immense pile of castellated ramparts and bastions. Begun in 1070 by William the Conqueror, it soon became his royal hunting pad and is still the royal weekend retreat almost a thousand years later.

You can nose around the Queen’s lavish state apartments and admire works of art by the likes of Leonardo da Vinci, Van Dyck, Holbein, Rembrandt and Rubens. Then count off kings and queens by the dozen in the royal mausoleum. Among its illustrious corpses are Henry VIII and Charles I (reunited with his severed head) and, most recently, the Queen Mum was buried here in 2002.
Travellers have even been known to bump into HRH in her weekend togs in the castle’s sprawling parkland. Also nearby are the elite public school Eton and the preteen’s favourite Legoland Windsor.

British wonders: 23 Shakespeare houses

Location: Stratford-upon-Avon, the Midlands
What’s the damage? Varies
Shakespeare’s childhood home may be a national treasure but it is also an obligatory spot on the international tour bus circuit. So expect to fight for space in the five half-timbered Tudor homes linked to the bard and his family. The most important is Will’s presumed birthplace. A tourist spot for three centuries now, its guestbook bears the signatures of many a famous English writer.
Shakespeare’s mother’s childhood home and Anne Hathaway’s cottage are both similarly preserved, as is his daughter’s luxurious residence. Little remains of the house in which Shakespeare died, but its foundations stud a commemorative garden.
To remind yourself what all the fuss is about, catch a play by the Royal Shakespeare Company while you are here. The company attracts many big stars to perform in Stratford.

British wonders: 24 Leeds Castle

Location: Near Maidstone, Kent, south-east England
What’s the damage? £15
This enormous moated fortress is often described as one of the world’s most romantic castles. Hardly a reputation to strike fear into the enemy’s heart - but then Leeds Castle has seen very little military action, despite formidable defences and a fine location straddling two islands in a large lake.
Indeed it is characterised as something of a “lady’s castle”, having housed a veritable who’s who of queens throughout its 1,000-year history - most famously being home to Henry VIII's first wife, Catherine of Aragon. For much of the 20th century it was the lavish country pad of the high-society hostess Lady Baillie, who entertained the likes of Errol Flynn, Douglas Fairbanks and JFK here.
The huge estate also has country walks, a maze complete with surreal grotto at its centre, an extensive aviary and falconry demonstrations.