Pretty market town that keeps attracting royalty has one of the UK’s smallest museums and historic Tudor attraction
MIDHURST is routinely named one of the best places to live in the UK and has been attracting royal visitors for centuries.
Located in the heart of the South Downs National Park in West Sussex, Royals like Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth I, the late Princess Diana and King Charles are said to have visited the English town.
Other royals like Prince William, Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have also visited Midhurst.
The royal guests often to Cowdray Park Polo Club, which hosts the Gold Cup – a premier polo tournament.
Before it became a popular location for a spot of Polo, the Cowdray Estate was home to Cowdray House – a Tudor mansion.
Both Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I are said to have visited the Tudor manor in its heyday.
Cowdray Manor was devastated by a fire in the late 18th century, with just its ruins remaining to this day.
Nowadays, in the care of the Cowdray Heritage Trust, an independent charity is now responsible for managing the site.
Entry tickets to the Cowdray Ruins cost £6.50 for a full-paying adult.
Considering it’s situated within 16,000 acres, there are plenty of other activities inside Cowdray Estate like mountain biking, foraging, wildlife tours and fly fishing.
Even without the royal seal of approval, several celebrities are thought to live in Midhurst, including Downton Abbey actor Hugh Bonneville.
War of the Worlds author H G Wells also lived in Midhurst, with three blue plaques placed in the town in his memory.
Other attractions in the Sussex town include Midhurst Museum, which describes itself as the “possibly the smallest museum in the world”.
Located in Knockhundred Market, the theme of the museum changes every month – although each theme is related to the town in some way.
Given its long-standing history with royal visitors there are plenty of cosy pubs to visit in Midhurst, including The Bricklayers Arms, The Royal Oak and The Greyhound.
Hotels in Midhurst are a little on the pricier side, with Sun Online Travel finding overnight stays from £190.
There are plenty of other attractions near to Midhurst like Woolbeding Gardens – a National Trust property that’s home to 26 acres of gardens.
Each garden has a different theme with gardens including, the well garden, the fountain garden, the herb garden, the pool and the orangery.
There’s also Uppark House and Gardens – another National Trust property that’s decorated with French furniture, Dutch porcelain and Italian paintings.
Midhurst is an 80-minute drive from Brighton.
Other pretty villages with famous locals
Baltonsborough, in Somerset, has a population of just 864 people.
However, film star Nicolas Cage currently lives there, buying a home in the village a decade ago.
Sonning often proves itself to be one of the most crowd-pleasing, with several A-list celebs choosing to making it their home.
Perhaps most famous among them is George Clooney, who bought a huge home there with his wife Amal in 2016.
Biddenden is often overlooked as a holiday destination in favour of coastal destinations like Margate, Whitstable and Folkestone.
TV presenter Denise van Outen and Coldplay drummer Will Champion have both lived in the Kent village.
Meanwhile, this is the smallest town in the UK – and it has a Michelin starred restaurant.
And this UK village has been compared to a 1940s film set.