Stourhead ()
is a 1,072-hectare (2,650-acre)
estate at the source of the
River Stour in the southwest of the English county of
Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...
, extending into
Somerset
Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
.
The estate is about northwest of the town of
Mere and includes a
Grade I listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
18th-century
Neo-Palladian
Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Republic of Venice, Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetr ...
mansion, the village of
Stourton, one of the most famous gardens in the
English landscape garden
The English landscape garden, also called English landscape park or simply the English garden (, , , , ), is a style of "landscape" garden which emerged in England in the early 18th century, and spread across Europe, replacing the more formal ...
style, farmland, and woodland. Stourhead has been part-owned by the
National Trust
The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...
since 1946.
House
The
Stourton family had lived at the Stourhead estate for 500 years until they sold it to Sir Thomas Meres in 1714. His son, John Meres, sold it in 1717 to
Henry Hoare
Henry Hoare II (1705–1785), known as Henry the Magnificent, was an English banker and garden owner-designer.
Family
Henry's grandfather, Richard Hoare, was a goldsmith-banker and Lord Mayor of London. His father, Henry Hoare I, bought th ...
, son of wealthy banker Sir
Richard Hoare. The original
manor house
A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...
was demolished and a new house, one of the first of its kind, was designed by
Colen Campbell
Colen Campbell (15 June 1676 – 13 September 1729) was a pioneering Scottish architect and architectural writer who played an important part in the development of the Georgian style. For most of his career, he resided in Italy and England. As ...
and built by
Nathaniel Ireson between 1721 and 1725.
Over the next 200 years, the Hoare family collected many heirlooms, including a large library and art collection. In 1902, the house was gutted by fire but many of the heirlooms were saved, and the house was rebuilt in a nearly identical style.
The last Hoare family member to own the property,
Sir Henry Hugh Arthur Hoare, 6th Baronet, gave the house and gardens to the National Trust in 1946, one year before his death. His son and sole heir, Captain Henry Colt Arthur "Harry" Hoare, of the
Queen's Own Dorset Yeomanry, had died of wounds received at the
Battle of Mughar Ridge on 13 November 1917 during
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
.
[ The last Hoare family member to be born at the house was Edward Hoare on 11 October 1949.
The house was recorded as ]Grade I listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
in 1966.
Art collection
Henry Hoare's art collection is displayed at Stourhead; his acquisitions are featured in the Palladian mansion's 'Painted Alcove' or Italian Room. Hoare's collection includes many hand-coloured prints – in some cases, coloured with such skill that they were mistaken for oil paintings. These prints are engravings of the works of the Italian masters (for example Daniele da Volterra
Daniele Ricciarelli (; 15094 April 1566), better known as Daniele da Volterra (, ), was a Mannerism, Mannerist List of Italian painters, Italian painter and sculpture, sculptor.
He is best remembered for his association with Michelangelo. Sev ...
, and Carlo Maratta
Carlo Maratta or Maratti (18 May 162515 December 1713) was an Italian Baroque painter and Drawing, draughtsman, active principallly in Rome where he was the leading painter in the second half of the 17th century. He was a fresco and canvas painte ...
) and the hand-colouring is attributed to a "Mr. Studio", thought to be Giacomo Van Lint, the son of Flemish painter Hendrik van Lint (possibly in collaboration with his father).
Other buildings
Although the main design for the estate at Stourhead was the work of Colen Campbell
Colen Campbell (15 June 1676 – 13 September 1729) was a pioneering Scottish architect and architectural writer who played an important part in the development of the Georgian style. For most of his career, he resided in Italy and England. As ...
, other architects were involved in its evolution through the years. William Benson, Henry Hoare's brother-in-law, was in part responsible for the building of the estate in 1719. Francis Cartwright, a master builder and architect, who was established as a "competent provincial designer in the Palladian manner", worked on Stourhead between 1749 and 1755. Cartwright was a known carver, presumably of materials such as wood and stone, and it is assumed that his contribution to Stourhead was in this capacity. Nathaniel Ireson is the master builder credited for much of the work on the Estate: it is this work that established his career, in 1720.
The original estate remained intact, though changes and additions were made over time. Henry Flitcroft
Henry Flitcroft (30 August 1697 – 25 February 1769) was a major English architect in the second generation of Palladianism. He came from a humble background; his father was a labourer in the gardens at Hampton Court. Flitcroft began his career a ...
built three temples and a tower on the property: the Temple of Ceres was added in 1744, followed by the Temple of Hercules in 1754 and the Temple of Apollo in 1765; that same year he designed Alfred's Tower, which was not built until 1772. During the ownership of Sir Richard Colt Hoare, the mason and surveyor John Carter added an ornamental cottage to the grounds (1806) and the architect William Wilkins created a Grecian style lodge (1816).
In 1840, over a century after the initial buildings were constructed, Charles Parker was hired by Sir Hugh Richard Hoare, 4th Baronet to make changes to the estate. A portico was added to the main house, along with other alterations. The design of the additions was in keeping with original plans.
Gardens and monuments
The lake at Stourhead is artificially created. Following a path around the lake is meant to evoke a journey similar to that of Aeneas
In Greco-Roman mythology, Aeneas ( , ; from ) was a Troy, Trojan hero, the son of the Trojan prince Anchises and the Greek goddess Aphrodite (equivalent to the Roman Venus (mythology), Venus). His father was a first cousin of King Priam of Troy ...
's descent into the underworld. In addition to Greek mythology, the layout is evocative of the " genius of the place", a concept expounded by Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early ...
. Buildings and monuments are erected in remembrance of family and local history. Henry Hoare was a collector of art; one of his pieces was Claude Lorrain
Claude Lorrain (; born Claude Gellée , called ''le Lorrain'' in French; traditionally just Claude in English; c. 1600 – 23 November 1682) was a French painter, draughtsman and etcher of the Baroque era. He spent most of his life in I ...
's ''Aeneas at Delos'', which is thought to have inspired the pictorial design of the gardens. Passages telling of Aeneas's journey are quoted in the temples surrounding the lake.
Monuments are used to frame one another; for example the Pantheon designed by Flitcroft entices the visitor over, but once reached, views from the opposite shore of the lake beckon. The use of the sunken path allows the landscape to continue on into neighbouring landscapes, allowing the viewer to contemplate all the surrounding panorama. The Pantheon was thought to be the most important visual feature of the gardens. It appears in many pieces of artwork owned by Hoare, depicting Aeneas's travels. The plantings in the garden were arranged in a manner that would evoke different moods, drawing visitors through realms of thought. According to Henry Hoare, 'The greens should be ranged together in large masses as the shades are in painting: to contrast the dark masses with the light ones, and to relieve each dark mass itself with little sprinklings of lighter greens here and there.'
The gardens were designed by Henry Hoare
Henry Hoare II (1705–1785), known as Henry the Magnificent, was an English banker and garden owner-designer.
Family
Henry's grandfather, Richard Hoare, was a goldsmith-banker and Lord Mayor of London. His father, Henry Hoare I, bought th ...
II and laid out between 1741 and 1780 in a classical 18th-century design set around a large lake, achieved by damming a small stream. The inspiration behind their creation were the painters Claude Lorrain
Claude Lorrain (; born Claude Gellée , called ''le Lorrain'' in French; traditionally just Claude in English; c. 1600 – 23 November 1682) was a French painter, draughtsman and etcher of the Baroque era. He spent most of his life in I ...
, Poussin
Nicolas Poussin (, , ; June 1594 – 19 November 1665) was a French painter who was a leading painter of the Classicism, classical French Baroque style, although he spent most of his working life in Rome. Most of his works were on religious and ...
, and, in particular, Gaspard Dughet, who painted Utopia
A utopia ( ) typically describes an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', which describes a fictiona ...
n-type views of Italian landscapes. An early feature, predating the lake, is the Temple of Flora (1744–46) which now contains a replica of the Borghese Vase modelled in Coade stone
Coade stone or ''Lithodipyra'' or ''Lithodipra'' () is stoneware that was often described as an artificial stone in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It was used for moulding neoclassical architecture, neoclassical statues, a ...
dating from 1770 to 1771. Lakeside features include the five-arched Palladian Bridge at the eastern extremity of the lake; the Rockwork Bridge over the road to the south of the lake; and to the west the grotto and the Gothic Cottage summerhouse.
Also in the garden are a number of temples inspired by scenes of the Grand Tour of Europe. On one hill overlooking the gardens stand an obelisk
An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...
of 1839 and King Alfred's Tower, a 50-metre-tall, brick folly
In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but suggesting through its appearance some other purpose, or of such extravagant appearance that it transcends the range of usual garden buildings.
Eighteenth-cent ...
designed by Henry Flitcroft
Henry Flitcroft (30 August 1697 – 25 February 1769) was a major English architect in the second generation of Palladianism. He came from a humble background; his father was a labourer in the gardens at Hampton Court. Flitcroft began his career a ...
in 1772; on another hill the temple of Apollo
Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...
provides a vantage point to survey the rhododendron
''Rhododendron'' (; : ''rhododendra'') is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the Ericaceae, heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are native to eastern Asia and the Himalayan ...
s, water, cascades and temples. The large medieval Bristol High Cross was moved from Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
to the gardens. The gardens are home to a large collection of trees and shrubs from around the world.
Sir Richard Hoare, 2nd Baronet, the grandson of Henry Hoare II, inherited Stourhead in 1783.[ He added the library wing to the mansion,][ and in the garden was responsible for the building of the boathouse and the removal of several features that were not in keeping with the classical and gothic styles (including a Turkish Tent). He also considerably enhanced the planting – the Temple of Apollo rises from a wooded slope that was planted in Colt Hoare's time. With the antiquarian passion of the times, he had 400 ancient burial mounds dug up to inform his pioneering ''History of Ancient Wiltshire''.
The gardens were listed Grade I on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in 1987.]
In typography
The National Trust
The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...
's corporate font, designed by Paul Barnes, is based on an inscription in the grotto, created around 1748. The inscription was destroyed in error around 1960 and a replica was made from photographs.
Gallery
File:S7300180.JPG, View taken from the Grotto, of the lake in autumn colours
File:Stourhead Garden View from Above.JPG, Stourhead's lake and foliage as seen from a high hill vantage point
File:Stourhead House - geograph.org.uk - 31721.jpg, Stourhead House
File:Stourhead05.jpg, The Temple of Apollo high on a hill overlooking the gardens, based on a circular temple at Baalbec
File:Stourhead 2022-05-03a.jpg, Gatehouse
File:Temple of Flora-geograph-2911386.jpg, The Temple of Flora 1744–46 by Henry Flitcroft
File:Jardins de Stourhead - Stourhead House.JPG, Entrance front
File:Stourhead 2022-05-03l.jpg, Library
File:Stourhead garden.jpg, Bridge 1762 and Pantheon
File:Stourhead Pantheon.jpg, The Pantheon 1753–54 by Henry Flitcroft
File:Stourhead, Pantheon, interior.jpg, interior Pantheon
File:Stourhead, male statue in Pantheon, view toward roof.jpg, Statue in Pantheon
File:Stourhead - Pont pal·ladià.JPG, Temple of Flora and Bridge
File:Stourhead Grotto Cave.jpg, View from Grotto
File:Statue in the grotto at Stourhead - geograph.org.uk - 1557607.jpg, River God in Grotto
File:Sleeping Nymph, Stourhead.jpg, Sleeping nymph statue in the Grotto
File:Grotto motto, Stourhead park (9313913818).jpg, Grotto text, a quotation from Pope
File:Temple of Apollo, Stourhead - geograph.org.uk - 371744.jpg, Temple of Apollo 1757, by Henry Flitcroft
File:The lake at Stourhead - geograph.org.uk - 26526.jpg, The Lake
File:Stourhead Gardens in the spring - geograph.org.uk - 65797.jpg, Rhododendrons in flower
File:Stourhead, The Temple of Apollo - geograph.org.uk - 211701.jpg, Temple of Apollo from the lake
File:King Alfred's Tower view from west.jpg, King Alfred's Tower by Henry Flitcroft
File:Stourhead, Watch Cottage.jpg, Gothic Cottage altered 1806
File:Stourhead 05 (4652484149).jpg, St Peter's Pump 15th century, relocated from Bristol to Stourhead 1766
File:The Boathouse - geograph.org.uk - 437236.jpg, Boathouse
File:The Convent - geograph.org.uk - 886196.jpg, The Convent c.1765
File:The Obelisk at Stourhead - geograph.org.uk - 963383.jpg, The Obelisk 1839–40
File:Stourton, Bristol High Cross - geograph.org.uk - 484538.jpg, Bristol High Cross 1373 relocated to Stourhead 1764
File:Stourhead lake in midsummer - panoramio.jpg, The Lake
References
;Notes
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External links
Stourhead
– National Trust
Stourhead entry from ''The DiCamillo Companion to British & Irish Country Houses''
Wikidata list of paintings on view at Stourhead
{{Authority control
Buildings by Colen Campbell
Country houses in Wiltshire
English gardens in English Landscape Garden style
Georgian architecture in Wiltshire
Grade I listed buildings in Wiltshire
Grade I listed houses
Grade I listed parks and gardens in Wiltshire
Historic house museums in Wiltshire
Hoare family
Houses completed in 1725
National Trust properties in Wiltshire
Palladian architecture in England
1725 establishments in Great Britain