The Yorkshire chocolate baron's mansion that you can visit

Although the famous confectionery business - which was founded by Joseph Terry in York in 1828 - no longer has a presence in the city, its legacy lives on at Goddards House, the beautiful mansion overlooking the Terry's factory that was home to Joseph's great-grandson Noel and his family.

Goddards is a fine example of a 1920s Arts & Crafts house, and its beautiful gardens, as well as the property itself, have been open to the public since 2012 under the ownership of the National Trust.

Noel and his wife Kathleen, who herself came from a flour mill-owning dynasty, lived at St George's Place in York after their marriage, and commissioned local architect Walter Brierley to design their new home.

The family moved in in 1927, and enjoyed the use of a tennis court, bowling green, croquet lawn and views of the Terry's clock tower from their plot in the village of Dringhouses. Exotic pets, such as green lizards and axolotls, were introduced to the lily ponds in the gardens. There was also a gatehouse - now Grade II-listed - that was home to the family chauffeur.

Noel, who had been wounded at the Battle of the Somme, became managing director at the family firm in the 1930s, when classic products such as Terry's Chocolate Orange were launched. Their four children - Peter, Kenneth, Betty and Richard - grew up at Goddards. Peter later became deputy managing director, but Kenneth died in World War Two.

Noel and Kathleen both died in 1980 - the same year the famous Terry's shop and tearoom on St Helen's Square closed - after which the house passed to the National Trust, who initially used it as offices before realising its potential as a visitor attraction, opening the gardens to the public in 2006 and the house in 2012.

Terry's Victorian factory had been on the banks of the River Ouse at Clementhorpe, but they expanded to open their iconic art deco factory on Bishopthorpe Road in 1926. It closed in 2005 when owners Kraft Foods moved production overseas, and the site has now been converted into a housing development called The Chocolate Works.

Today, you can explore the five acres of gardens - home to interesting plants and an abundance of wildlife - play tennis and croquet on the lawn, and tour the exhibitions that tell the story of the Terry's chocolate empire.

Goddards House is open Wednesday-Sunday. Entry is £7.40 for adults and £3.70 for children.