16 Palaces to Explore in United Kingdom

The Earl's Palace in Birsay, Orkney, Scotland, is a ruined 16th-century castle. It was built by Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney , illegitimate son of King James V and his mistress Euphemia Elphinstone. The palace is in the care of Historic Environment Scotland as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

The Bishop’s and Earl’s Palaces are located in Kirkwall. It is essentially a simple, two-storey hall house and, although little of the first-floor hall remains, the ground level is largely intact. You can also climb to the top of the tower, known locally as the 'Moosie Toor', for views over Kirkwall. Earl's Palace, which was constructed around 1606 by Patrick, Earl of Orkney - one of Orkney's most notorious rulers.

Symbol and home of the monarchy of the United Kingdom. The palace has 775 rooms, and the garden is the largest private garden in London. The staterooms, used for official and state entertaining, are open to the public each year for most of August and September and on some days in winter and spring.

A sixteenth century English country house. Burghley House is an example of the Elizabethan prodigy house, it was built and still lived in by the Cecil family. The house is open to public on a seasonal basis and displays grand, richly furnished apartments. Burghley House is surrounded by a parkland and gardens.

Cawdor Castle is set amid gardens. The castle is built around a 15th-century tower house, with substantial additions in later centuries. The castle is best known for its literary connection to William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth, in which the title character is made "Thane of Cawdor". However, the story is highly fictionalised, and the castle itself, which is never directly referred to in Macbeth, was built many years after the life of the 11th-century King Macbeth.

Dunfermline Palace is a ruined former Scottish royal palace and important tourist attraction in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland. It is currently, along with other buildings of the adjacent Dunfermline Abbey, under the care of Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument. The ruins of a great Benedictine priory founded by Queen Margaret in the 1070's and elevated to abbey status by David I in 1128. Substantial remains of the church, domestic buildings and palace still stand.

Dunrobin Castle is a stately home in Sutherland, and the family seat of the Earl of Sutherland and the Clan Sutherland. Dunrobin's origins lie in the Middle Ages, but most of the present building and the gardens were added by Sir Charles Barry between 1835 and 1850. Some of the original building is visible in the interior courtyard, despite a number of expansions and alterations that made it the largest house in the north of Scotland. After being used as a boarding school for seven years, it is

Dunvegan castle is built on an elevated rock overlooking an inlet on the eastern shore of Lake Dunvegan. The castle was first built in the 13th century and developed piecemeal over the centuries. In the 19th century the whole castle was remodelled in a mock-medieval style. It is the seat of the MacLeod of MacLeod, chief of the Clan MacLeod.

Along with St James' Palace, it is one of only two surviving palaces out of the many the King Henry VIII owned. The palace has two distinct contrasting architectural styles, domestic Tudor and Baroque. It currently is open to the public displaying many of its original furnitures still in their original position, in addition to the works of art from the Royal Collection.

A residence of the British Royal Family since the 17th century. Today, the State Rooms are open to the public and displays many paintings and other objects from the Royal Collection.

Leith Hill Place is an elegant 17th-century property, which was added to and improved in the 18th century by General John Folliot. It was an atmospheric house with panoramic views across the Surrey countryside, Leith Hill Place was the childhood home of one of England’s greatest composers, Ralph Vaughan Williams

Meeting place for the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Contains over 1,100 rooms organised symmetrically around two series of courtyards and which has a floor area of 112,476 m2 (1,210,680 sq ft). Part of the New Palace's area of 3.24 hectares (8 acres) was reclaimed from the River Thames, which is the setting of its nearly 300-metre long (980 ft) facade, called the River Front.

Prideaux Place is a stunningly beautiful Elizabethan manor house that overlooks the picturesque fishing harbor of Padstow in North Cornwall. Fourteen generations of Prideaux have lived here and each generation has added its own contribution to the house and its historic garden. This beautiful mansion sits on the hill above the busy harbor of Padstow and the grounds boast some of the finest views over its ancient Deer Park and the Camel Estuary to Rock and Bodmin Moor beyond.

The Bishop's Palace & Gardens in Wells, Somerset has been home to the Bishops of Bath and Wells for over 800 years. This stunning medieval palace is open for all to enjoy. Surrounded by a breathtaking moat, cross the flagstone drawbridge, to experience a true hidden gem in the heart of the City of Wells. The palace was originally surrounded by a medieval deer park. When the walls were built, streams were diverted to form the moat as a reservoir.

Historic castle founded towards the end of 1066. A grand palace early in its history, the Tower has served variously as an armoury, a treasury, a menagerie, the home of the Royal Mint, a public record office, and the home of the Crown Jewels of England. The Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat.