For a stay in Wing, two different scales can be distinguished: All Saints and Dormer's Hospital are in the village, while Ascott lies half a mile to the east. The two historic sites in Wing draw attention to the churchyard, access and architectural history; at Ascott, a historic landscape and a collection in the manor house add to the picture. This helps you decide whether your main interest is in the buildings in the village, or whether to include nearby Ascott in your plans as well.

All Saints and the churchyard at the edge of the village

All Saints stands in a large churchyard at the edge of the village. The entrance is through a 20th-century lychgate. A lychgate is a covered entrance to a churchyard; here, it marks the entrance to the grounds. So the picture of All Saints includes not only the church and its architecture, but also its location at the edge of the village and the surrounding churchyard. Anyone interested in historic village layouts can consider these spatial elements together: the edge of the village, the churchyard and the entrance through the gate.

Dormer's Hospital: an almshouse with two dates

Dormer's Hospital offers a different focus. The building is a late-16th-century almshouse, founded in 1569 and renovated in 1982. The two dates mark different milestones: 1569 is the year it was founded, and 1982 the year it was renovated. More than four centuries lie between them. This makes it possible to distinguish the later building work from the building's original purpose as an almshouse. Compared with All Saints, the focus here is less on its location at the edge of the village and its entrance, and more on its building type and architectural history. Anyone interested in historic buildings can thus see Wing from two different perspectives: a churchyard with an entrance and an almshouse with its own history of foundation and renovation.

Ascott: historic landscape east of Wing

Ascott lies east of Wing, half a mile from the village. The grounds of the former manor house form a largely unspoilt historic landscape of great significance. The landscape is open to the public via designated footpaths. Conditions on these paths may change; check them before your visit. This offers a different focus from the two buildings in Wing: here, the emphasis is not on a single building but on the historic surroundings.

The Ascott Collection

At Ascott, a self-guided tour takes visitors through five rooms on the ground floor and showcases the Ascott Collection: 17th-century paintings, 18th-century furniture and Chinese ceramics. The 17th-century paintings and 18th-century furniture offer a contrast in time; the Chinese ceramics add another group of objects to the picture. Together, the collection and historic landscape give Ascott a different focus from the architectural history of Wing village. Check the National Trust's current visitor arrangements before planning your visit.

When planning your visit, note the separate guidance: the designated footpaths relate to public access to the landscape, while the National Trust's visitor arrangements relate to visiting the collection.

Discover more destinations: Amersham, Winslow, High Wycombe, Seer Green, Easington, Wooburn Green, Aylesbury, Stoke Poges

For the wider travel guide: Buckinghamshire.