Rockingham Castle on July 19th

A Royal fortress for 450 years, Rockingham Castle was built by William the Conqueror.

And for the last 450 years it's been home to the Saunders Watson family.

The imposing entrance to Rockingham Castle

On Friday July 19, it'll be home to Anne Davies, Dominic Heale and the rest of the team from East Midlands Today.

"We chose Rockingham for one of our summer specials because of its fascinating history and the sheer beauty of the surroundings," says Anne.

"From the ramparts of the castle you can see five different counties.

"The view is just as magnificent inside, with sumptuously decorated rooms from different historical periods.

It's a dream home in a dream setting."

And it's proved the dream setting for a celebrated local author too.

The castle and some of the locations nearby have been extensively used in the crime fiction of Jill McGown.

She says that the area is perfect material for a mystery writer.

Anne hits the road during our summer series

There's no mystery about another of Rockingham's attractions. The 12 acres of gardens have to be seen to be believed.

East Midlands Today's gardening team, John and Martin, will be exploring the flora, finding out just what it takes to keep all that greenery in trim.

And the sports team are going to drop in at the Rockingham Motor Speedway, one of the fastest and most exciting motor sports venues in the countries.

Anne will be continuing her series on classic cars.

There'll also be all the day's regional news and the daily weather forecast with Sara Blizzard.

East Midlands Today, live from Rockingham Castle, 6.30, BBC1, Friday July 19.

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