Syon House

Just across the Thames from Kew Gardens, Syon House was once a medieval abbey named after Mt Zion. In 1542 Henry VIII dissolved the order of Bridgettine nuns who were peacefully living here and had it rebuilt into a residence. (In 1547, they say, God got his revenge when Henry’s coffin was brought to Syon en route to Windsor for burial and burst open during the night, leaving his body to be set upon by the estate’s dogs.) The house from where Lady Jane Grey ascended the throne for her nine-day reign in 1553 was remodelled in the neoclassical style by Robert Adam in the 18th century and has plenty of Adam furniture and oak panelling. The interior was designed on gender-specific lines, with pastel pinks and purples for the ladies’ gallery, and mock Roman sculptures for the men’s dining room. The estate’s 16-hectare gardens, with a lake and the Great Conservatory (1820), were landscaped by Capability Brown. Syon Park is filled with attractions for children, including an adventure playground, aquatic park and trout fishery.