Stourhead National Trust Wiltshire Garden
Stourhead
Stourhead is a National Trust managed Palladian mansion house and landscaped garden in Wiltshire, South-west England. The name Stourhead comes from the house’s location, close to the source of the River Stour. British banker Henry Hoare created Stourhead. The landscape paintings of Claude Lorrain provided his inspiration. Hoare returned from his Grand Tour (an 18th century equivalent of the Gap Year, reserved mainly for upper-class men and restricted to Europe) with a Lorrain painting. Consequently, he set about landscaping his Stourhead garden to resemble the Baroque master’s work.
Stourhead was one of the first ‘picturesque‘ English landscape gardens. Probably the most famous English landscape gardener of all times was Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. Brown was better known for the ‘beautiful‘ style, which tends maybe not to be as dramatic as the picturesque style. While beautiful gardens feature rolling pastoral designs, picturesque gardens are replete with dead trees, artificial ruins and gorges.
Your Stourhead Visit
Don’t just visit Stourhead once, while it is both ‘picturesque’ and beautiful in autumn, either Winter, Spring or Summer have something equally splendid to offer. Entry is £15.60 (less without gift aid). Leave a bit of time to walk over to Alfred’s Tower (extra £4 entrance fee) in addition to visiting Stourhead. King Alfred’s Tower is in the same area and is a lovely short walk (in good weather). Set your SatNav system to take you to postcode BA12 6QF, where you will find signposts to the visitor’s car park.
We captured the post photograph a year ago at Stourhead on a rather rainy day. The overcast sky generated some very soft light while revealing Stourhead’s true autumn splendour.
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