The Taj Mahal is one of the world’s most breathtaking structures. A masterpiece of Indo-Islamic architecture. A symbol of all-consuming love (built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1631 to house the tomb of his wife). Nothing comes close. But if a trip to India is too far, consider this alternative: The Cotswolds’ Sezincote.
This 200-year-old Mughal Indian palace sits at the heart of a 3,500-acre estate in the rolling English countryside. Its landscape of temples, grottos, waterfalls and canals is very much reminiscent of the Taj Mahal—and it’s believed to be the only authentically Mughal palace in northern Europe.
What is Sezincote like?
Just outside Moreton-in-Marsh, about an hour and a half from Birmingham, Sezincote was built in 1805. John Cockerell bought the estate after serving with the East India Company; before his youngest brother inherited the property, and another brother, Samuel Pepys Cockerell, designed the house “in the Indian manner.”
This is all happening, obviously, in the thick of British colonialism, and the result is a mishmash of Georgian architecture and “deliberately mixed Islamic and Hindu elements.” Sezincote directly influenced the iconic Brighton Pavilion following the Prince Regent’s visit in 1807.
With its weathered-copper onion-shaped dome, umbrella-shaped chhatris and overhanging chhajjas, this not-so-traditional country house feels closer to the Ganges than Gloucester. Outside, a curved orangery encloses a Persian paradise garden, while you’ll also find Hindu-style Surya temples, Shiva lingams and Nandi bulls.
When can I visit?
Sadly, Sezincote isn’t open to the public all year round, but the good news is that it will reopen very soon. Sezincote Garden is open to visitors from March to November (Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and bank holiday Mondays); while to visit Sezincote House and Orangery Tearoom, they open May to September (same days).
🎟️ To just visit the garden, you can pay on arrival (adults £9 and children £3), but visitors to the house must pre-book via the website (adults £15 and children £9)
🌐 You can learn more about Sezincote by heading to the website here
📍 Sezincote House, Sezincote Estate, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 9A