Stourhead (Wiltshire, England)

Stourhead is one of the most famous gardens in England. This massive estate includes a Palladian house and park-like garden (2300 acres!) that surrounds a huge man-made lake. It is one picture-perfect view after another. The expression "a living work of art" certainly applies here.

Now, to my embarrassment, I missed some of the main features, including the house! I don't know how it happened, as I had a nourishing English-style breakfast, I wasn't under the influence of anything, and I even had a map of the premises. 

Looking at a map of the grounds of Stourhead now, I can see that the house is situated in an unusual location, removed from the main house and the visitor entrance.  It is past the Stable Yard, which wasn't that interesting and I had turned around and headed back to the entrance and our bus (I had already walked around the lake and gardens). I regret that I missed the house. 

Henry Hoare II inherited Stourhead in 1717 when he was twenty. He built the mansion and set about creating the garden, first by making the lake. A circular path winds around the two-mile long lake, which is enhanced with classic temples. Hoare was a great patron of the arts and earned the nickname "Henry the Magnificent". 

The creation of Stourhead could have been a solace for Hoare, whose first wife died less than a year after the married. His second wife also died young, after fifteen years of marriage. One of Hoare's daughters also died young.

The Temple of Flora -

The Pantheon -

The Temple of Apollo - 

The Gothic Cottage -

The Turf Bridge -

The Bristol Cross once stood in the center of the town of Bristol for four centuries. Hoare obtained it from the city after it was declared a nuisance to traffic - 

The great banks of rhododendrons and azaleas were not added to the landscape until a century after Hoare's death in 1785. They were added by the last owner of Stourhead (also named Henry Hoare) -

 

  

At a point about halfway around the lake, I stopped to sit on a bench and admire one of the many views. I heard something, turned, and saw a European robin sitting on the corner of the bench, just at my shoulder. They are quite tame. I saw them everywhere on the trip. So cute.

(Visited May 10, 2025)

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy