Donington le Heath is a village on the River Sence in North West Leicestershire. Donington le Heath Manor House, built around 1280, is one of the oldest surviving houses in England.
The building stands on Anglo-Saxon foundations, suggesting that an even earlier structure occupied the site: it has a hall facing south and two wings on the north side and a moat. There are some alterations made in the 17th century, including some of the windows and the ground floor entrance.
Visitors to the Manor House can see restored rooms and displays on medieval life as well as a series of temporary exhibitions on a wide range of subjects. The house is set in recreated 17th century style gardens. The Manor House is noted for its lively series of monthly events that use re-enactment, crafts, hands-on activities and specialist demonstrations to interpret Leicestershire's history and archaeology to visitors of all ages. The Museum is accredited by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA).
Text source: Doningtonleheath.org.uk & Wikipedia
Image source: Robert Haywood [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
