The Historic house reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004
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Historic house

Helping orphans the way you would do it
A historic house can be a stately home, the birthplace of a famous person, or a house wth an interesting history. Houses were first thought of as historic rather than just old or interesting, during the early nineteenth century. Government protection was first given during the late nineteenth century.

See: List of historic houses, Historic houses in England, Historic houses in Wales, Historic houses in Scotland, Historic houses in Northern Ireland, Historic houses in the Republic of Ireland