On a visit to Waddesdon, Alan uncovers the story of Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, famed for his lavish lifestyle, notable guests and the parties he threw at his French Renaissance-style château in the heart of the Buckinghamshire countryside. Alison Hammond heads to Polesden Lacey to party 1900s-style, architecture enthusiast Clive Aslet visits another grand design on the Waddesdon estate, and writer and presenter Oz Clarke travels to Kent to see one of Baron Ferdinand’s most prized possessions as it undergoes essential restoration.

• Suzannah Lipscomb
• Alan Titchmarsh