Just six miles from Northampton, a little gem of a property can be found. This is Holdenby, a former Tudor Palace, a royal prison and now a rather grand family home.

The de Holdenby family had owned the Northamptonshire manor for three generations when Sir Christopher Hatton decided to build his stunning palace. Not for him the moderate family house that his grandmother vacated on her death - he wanted a place that not only reflected his powerful status as Lord Chancellor to the Queen, but also a building that would impress his Queen. When he completed the palace in 1583 it was the largest house in England.

When Sir Christopher died just nine years later, the costs of running this magnificent house, together with accumulated debts, resulted in the house having to be sold to the Crown in 1605. The original Deed of Transfer to James I can be seen in the museum.

Although King James was a frequent visitor to Holdenby, the first monarch to actually stay there was Charles I. After his defeat in the Civil War, Charles was taken to Holdenby as a prisoner and remained there for some months before his execution. His palatial prison was purchased by a Parliamentarian soldier with a notion for making some easy income. He virtually demolished the house, selling off the stone for local building.

Within 200 years, abandonment had taken its toll on the palace and it became no more than a 'romantic ruin'. It came into the hands of the Duke of Marlborough early in the 18th century and passed through a long line of female descendants until, eventually, Lady Clifden inherited Holdenby. Her efforts at restoration in the 19th century seem to have set the tone for a new era and, using the original kitchen wing of the palace, she added a further two side wings in the same style.

Today, her great, great grandson has continued with the programme of enhancement and sympathetic repairs to ensure that the house remains true to its origins but, at the same time, a comfortable and practical family home.

The gardens and grounds surrounding the house are quite magnificent. In the immediate vicinity are the 'inner gardens', a delightful mix of themed areas and recreated Elizabethan gardens. Outside of this boundary are the original gardens to the palace. Standing like two massive statues on a grassed escarpment are the only remains of the Tudor palace - two arches that formed the exits from the courtyard to the front entrance of Holdenby. From the middle of these two arches it is possible to gain an idea of the incredible size of the old palace.

Also within the grounds is the 14th century church, where the tombs of the de Holdenby family can be found, as well as part of a screen salvaged from the Great Hall of the palace.

Since the 1980s Holdenby has also become an important Falconry Centre, showing off the ancient skills of the falconer and the wonderful birds of prey used for hunting. Altogether an amazing place of interest.