Apethorpe Hall, Northamptonshire

Baron von Pfetten, who was a member of the Chinese parliament from 2001 until 2005 where he got the nickname 'Red Baron', has just finished restoring a 17th century chateau in his native France and said he wanted Apethorpe Hall (above) to 'regain its deserved place in British history'

Photo: inner courtyard of Apethorpe palace in restoration, with Tudor-era gatehouse block. Copyright: Daily Mail

Acquired: 1543

Apethorpe was among the last of the houses acquired by Henry VIII, purchased from Lord Mountjoy in 1543. It was heavily rebuilt in the later sixteenth century and little is known of the Henrician house, but current nomenclature refers to the structure as Apethorpe Palace. The king may have visited in his later years.