Video report: Hidden histories

What links Keira Knightley, William IV, Benjamin Disraeli, and Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist?

UNLIKELY as it sounds, it's Basildon Park, Lower Basildon.

Although the Georgian mansion lost many of its original treasures - thanks to George Ferdinando, who stripped it of many features, and a caretaker who helped himself to the lead from the roof, allowing rain water in - it was rescued from ruin by Lord and Lady Iliffe in the mid-1950s.

They restored the elegant interior and scoured the country salvaging 18th-century architectural fixtures and fittings. The National Trust property now houses an assortment of features, furniture, antiques and curiosities that weave a story between some of the country's most colourful characters from politics, art, literature, entertainment and royalty.

On Mondays, guided tours of the property are offered all day, but for a sneak preview watch our video, in which house steward Neil Shaw shares some of Basildon Park's secrets.