Ascott is a rambling Victorian brick and Jacobean half-timbered house set in extensive gardens. It is known for its superb collection of Chinese porcelain, including remarkable groups of Tang dynasty and Jun wares. It also contains exceptional pictures.

They are primarily Dutch and Flemish seventeenth-century cabinet pieces, formed by Baron Lionel de Rothschild (1808–1879), the eldest son of Nathan Mayer, founder of the English branch of the Rothschilds. These were inherited by his grandson Anthony de Rothschild (1887–1961), who, after a late 1930s remodelling, gave Ascott and most of its collections to the National Trust in 1949. It is still the home of his son, Sir Evelyn de Rothschild. Anthony de Rothschild added and bought back a number of (primarily British) paintings. His finest Italian picture, ‘The “Fries” Madonna’ by Andrea del Sarto, was bought privately from the future 5th Marquess of Londonderry.