Stourhead
I love the National Trust. They preserve and make accessible so many extraordinary buildings and landscapes throughout the England. I keep discovering new favorites and this past week discovered a magnificent National Trust property called Stourhead.
Stourhead is best known for it's Capability Brown landscaping and garden on a 2650 acre site together with a delightful Palladian style country house. There are numerous garden paths that meander around the lakes, ponds and collection of trees and bushes making it a delightful place to wander and explore, even in the rain.
The Stourton family lived on the estate for 500 years until they sold it to Sir Thomas Meres in 1714. His son, John Meres, sold it to Henry Hoare I, son of wealthy banker. The original manor was demolished and a new house. Over the next 200 years the Hoare family collected many heirlooms, including a large library and art collection which is on display in the house. In 1902 the house was gutted by fire but many of the heirlooms were saved, and the house was rebuilt in a near identical style.
The last Hoare family member to own the property, Henry Hugh Arthur Hoare, gave the house and gardens to the National Trust in 1946, one year before his and his wife's death. (They died on the same day of natural causes!) Their sole heir and son, Captain "Harry" Hoare, died in 1917 serving in the Queen's on Dorset Yeomanry in World War I. There is a lovely story trail through the gardens that tell the story of "Harry"and what it was like to grow up in this bit of paradise.
The Stable Yard
The Temple of Apollo
The view from the Grotto
The Palladian Bridge
The Pantheon
The Grotto
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