Standen is a beautiful Arts & Crafts National Trust house in West Sussex, and I went there last week with my sister and our children. I know the National Trust has been harping on about all the things kids should do before being swallowed up by screens, but I’ve never found Trust properties (of the stately home variety) particularly child friendly. In the past I’ve avoided visiting such places as they don’t have play areas and seem more about preserving the past than engaging with real live people, I thought. But I was wrong. The kids loved our visit to Standen, especially the plantation play area with its outdoor sofa and higgledy piggledy fence. We didn’t brave the house, as apparently it contains original William Morris wallpaper which is totally untouchable, but the grounds and cafe and views were enough for us. http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/standen/