Castle Ward

Despite Game of Thrones' medievalesque feel, one of the show's most popular locations was portrayed on screen by an 18th-century mansion.

The sprawling Castle Ward estate served as a stand-in for the seat of House Stark, Winterfell, in the hit television series - you might recognize the mansion's farmyard as the courtyard and archery range of the Stark clan, and many of the lands on the estate were used to stage war camps and battles. The Castle's tower was also digitally duplicated to create Winterfell's own version.

The history of the mansion is fascinating in its own right: built in 1766 by Viscount Bernard Ward and his wife Viscountess Anne, the architectural style of the house is split down the middle. When the husband and wife couldn't agree on what they wanted their new home to look like, they decided to compromise and had one side built in the Viscount's preferred classical style and the other in the Gothic style favored by Lady Anne.

In addition to the main house, the estate includes extensive trails open to visitors, with gems such as a sunken garden and a water temple.