Nine of the most astonishing objects you can see at National Trust properties, from priceless paintings to a wooden leg to a simple tunic with a heartbreaking tale to tell
We're taking a look at nine of the greatest objects on display in the National Trust's properties across Britain.

The National Trust’s collections are not only vast, but contain objects of astonishing beauty, quality and human interest.
To coincide with the Trust’s 125 anniversary, we asked nine senior curators — including national experts in painting and sculpture, textiles, furniture and decorative arts — to choose their favourite object from among those in their care.
Each of the objects they've chosen is discussed in individual articles, but we've collected them all together here to make it easier for you to enjoy all of these wonderful items — and plan your trips for 2020 accordingly.
'An allegorical dream'
Idleness and the Pilgrim of Love by Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, about 1872–76, at Wallington, Northumberland.
The Marquess of Anglesey’s revolutionary wooden leg
The first articulated wooden leg, limewood and leather, at Plas Newydd, Anglesey.
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
A red tunic that tells a tale of sinking ships, man-eating sharks and stupendous bravery
Red flannel tunic, part of a uniform of the 12th Lancers by an unknown maker, about 1851, at The Argory, Co Armagh.
'A man utterly consumed by passion'
A Man Consumed by Flames by Isaac Oliver, about 1610. Watercolour and body colour with gold on vellum, at Ham House, Richmond-upon-Thames.
A great Italian masterpiece brought to life as a woodcut by an English genius
The Crucifixion (after Jacopo Tintoretto), wooden carving by Grinling Gibbons, at Dunham Massey
The Rococo silver soup tureens at Ickworth
Pair of silver soup tureens, Frederick Kandler, London, 1752–53, at Ickworth
Chippendale's table that is the 'epitome of light-hearted Chinoiserie' at Anglesey Abbey
The Garrick Dressing Table by Thomas Chippendale, about 1775, at Anglesey Abbey.
A 15th-century altar cloth that survives in almost miraculous condition
Altar frontal of silk, velvet and linen, about 1493–1520, at Cotehele.
The humane, charming and utterly priceless Velazquez at Ickworth
Prince Baltasar Carlos, aged six, as a hunter by Diego Velázquez, about 1635–36, at Ickworth.
How the 125-year-old National Trust fulfils 21st-century needs for a beautiful Britain
Caring for places of history and natural beauty is a necessity which spans the ages.
A week-by-week guide to the National Trust's properties in 2020
The 15 best pictures from the National Trust's photo competition to find a cover for its 2020 member handbook
A beautiful image of a nature reserve on the Isle of Wight has won the honour of being on the
Bringing the quintessential English rural idle to life via interiors, food and drink, property and more Country Life’s travel content offers a window into the stunning scenery, imposing stately homes and quaint villages which make the UK’s countryside some of the most visited in the world.
-
A seven-bedroom oast house for sale in East Sussex, where your dreams can run riot
Unlisted, yet full of character, this property in the High Weald National Landscape is an eccentrically furnished family home that screams fun.
By James Fisher Published
-
Dawn Chorus: How to bag a Vacheron Constantin watch like Brad Pitt’s 222 and why London’s Sloane Street is looking better than ever
Everything you need to know today, including a new version of the watch Brad Pitt made headlines with at Wimbledon, the Harvey Nichols pasta pop-up and Sloane Street’s £40million face lift.
By Rosie Paterson Published
-
The best regional art galleries in Britain, from Cornwall to Orkney
Wherever you are in Britain, you’re never far from an interesting gallery. Here we present an eclectic round-up of 45 places to see art outside the big cities.
By Country Life Published
-
Cerne Abbas: Was the giant naked man an artistic act of defiance aimed at monks?
New evidence suggests that the Cerne Abbas giant is much older than previously thought — and that its creation might have been 'a big two fingers' aimed at the Benedictine monks who had recently established an abbey.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
-
The Ickworth Velazquez that's one of the very greatest treasures of the National Trust
In the final part of our series looking at the National Trust's finest treasures, we look at one of the very finest paintings in the Trust's ownership.
By Country Life Published
-
A 15th-century altar cloth that survives in almost miraculous condition, one of the National Trust's greatest treaures
Our series looking at the National Trust's finest treasures looks at a pre-Reformation altar front from Cotehele which has survived to the present day.
By Country Life Published
-
A Chippendale table that's 'the epitome of light-hearted Chinoiserie design', one of the National Trust's greatest treasures
Our series looking at the National Trust's finest treasures takes aim at the Thomas Chippendale dressing table of Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire.
By Country Life Published
-
A pair of tureens that are a Rococo tour de force in silver, and among the finest treasures of the National Trust
We're taking a look at nine of the greatest objects on display in the National Trust's properties across Britain — this time around we look at the incredibly intricate soup tureens of Ickworth.
By Country Life Published
-
A great Italian masterpiece brought to life as a woodcut by an English genius, one of the National Trust's finest treasures
We're taking a look at nine of the greatest objects on display in the National Trust's properties across Britain — today it's the astonishing carving at Dunham Massey.
By Country Life Published
-
A man 'utterly consumed by the forces of love and passion', one of the National Trust's finest treasures
We're taking a look at nine of the greatest objects on display in the National Trust's properties across Britain — this edition examines a painting that is small in size and large in meaning.
By Country Life Published