Minster Lovell Hall & Dovecote

Minster Lovell Hall is a 15th-century manor house that fell into ruin after the fortunes of the Lovell family collapsed in the Wars of the Roses, and what survives is one of the most quietly atmospheric historic sites in Oxfordshire. English Heritage cares for the ruins, which are free to visit and open at all times. The hall walls, a great tower and parts of the medieval chapel stand beside the River Windrush, surrounded by water meadows, in a setting that feels genuinely remote and peaceful even though the village of Minster Lovell is a few minutes' walk away.

Children take naturally to a place like this. There are walls to walk along, doorways to peer through, great open halls open to the sky and rooms where the sense of scale and age comes through without any interpretation needed. The ruins are unfenced in places, so younger children need watching near the edges, but the site is large enough to explore freely at your own pace. The medieval dovecote at the edge of the ruins is one of the best-preserved in the region and worth tracking down. The water meadows along the Windrush are lovely for a walk and wildlife spotting in spring and summer.

There are no facilities at the site, so bring a picnic and water. The parking is limited to a small car park by St Kenelm's Church, which is a five-minute walk from the ruins and fills early at weekends. The site is open at all times including evenings, which makes it a good choice for a late-afternoon outing when other attractions are closing. Three miles from Witney and well signposted from the A40.

Good for: history, outdoors. Ages: 0–2, 3–4, 5–7, 8–11, 12+.