Stourhead
Stourhead | |
---|---|
![]() The Palladian bridge and Pantheon | |
Type | House and garden |
Location | Stourton with Gasper, Wiltshire |
Coordinates | 51°06′29″N 2°19′09″W / 51.108°N 2.3191°WCoordinates: 51°06′29″N 2°19′09″W / 51.108°N 2.3191°W |
Built | House: 1721–1724, destroyed in fire, rebuilt 1906 Gardens: 1741–1780 |
Architect | Colen Campbell |
Architectural style(s) | Palladian |
Governing body | National Trust |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
Official name | Stourhead House |
Designated | 6 January 1966 |
Reference no. | 1131104 |
National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens | |
Official name | Stourhead |
Designated | 1 September 1987 |
Reference no. | 1000471 |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
Official name | The Palladian Bridge |
Designated | 6 January 1966 |
Reference no. | 1131099 |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
Official name | The Pantheon |
Designated | 6 January 1966 |
Reference no. | 1131102 |
Listed Building – Grade I | |
Official name | The Temple of Apollo |
Designated | 6 January 1966 |
Reference no. | 1131100 |
![]() ![]() Location of Stourhead in Wiltshire |
Stourhead (/ˈstaʊərˌhɛd/)[1] is a 1,072-hectare (2,650-acre) estate[2] at the source of the River Stour in the southwest of the English county of Wiltshire, extending into Somerset. The estate is about 4 km (2+1⁄2 mi) northwest of the town of Mere and includes a Grade I listed 18th-century Palladian mansion, the village of Stourton, gardens, farmland, and woodland. Stourhead has been part-owned by the National Trust since 1946.
House[]
The Stourton family had lived at the Stourhead estate for 500 years[3] until they sold it to Sir Thomas Meres in 1714.[4] His son, John Meres, sold it in 1717 to Henry Hoare, son of wealthy banker Sir Richard Hoare.[5] The original manor house was demolished and a new house, one of the first of its kind, was designed by Colen Campbell and built by Nathaniel Ireson between 1721 and 1725.[6]
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.[7]
The last Hoare family member to own the property, Sir Henry Hugh Arthur Hoare, 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.[7] 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 1966.[8]
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, and Carlo Maratta) 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).[9]
Other buildings[]
Although the main design for the estate at Stourhead was created by Colen Campbell, 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.[10] Francis Cartwright, a master builder and architect, who was established as a "competent provincial designer in the Palladian manner",[11] 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.[12]
The original estate remained intact, though changes and additions were made over time. Henry Flitcroft 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.[13] During the ownership of Sir Richard Colt Hoare, the mason and surveyor John Carter added an ornamental cottage to the grounds (1806)[14] and the architect William Wilkins created a Grecian style lodge (1816).[14]
In 1840, over a century after the initial buildings were constructed, Charles Parker was hired by Sir Hugh Hoare 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.[15]
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's descent in to the underworld.[16] In addition to Greek mythology, the layout is evocative of the "genius of the place", a concept expounded by Alexander Pope. 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's Aeneas at Delos, which is thought to have inspired the pictorial design of the gardens.[16] 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[17] designed by Flitcroft entices the visitor over, but once reached, views from the opposite shore of the lake beckon.[18] 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.[19] The plantings in the garden were arranged in a manner that would evoke different moods, drawing visitors through realms of thought.[18] 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.'[20]
The gardens were designed by Henry Hoare 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, Poussin, and, in particular, Gaspard Dughet, who painted Utopian-type views of Italian landscapes. An early feature, predating the lake, is the Temple of Flora (1744–46).[21] Lakeside features include the five-arched Palladian Bridge at the eastern extremity of the lake;[22] the Rockwork Bridge over the road to the south of the lake;[23] and to the west the grotto[24] and the Gothic Cottage summerhouse.[25]
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 of 1839[26] and King Alfred's Tower, a 50-metre-tall, brick folly designed by Henry Flitcroft in 1772; on another hill the temple of Apollo[27] provides a vantage point to survey the magnificent rhododendrons, water, cascades and temples. The large medieval Bristol High Cross was moved from Bristol to the gardens.[28] The gardens are home to a large collection of trees and shrubs from around the world.
Richard Colt Hoare, the grandson of Henry Hoare II, inherited Stourhead in 1783.[7] He added the library wing to the mansion,[7] and in the garden was responsible for the building of the boathouse[29] 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.[30]
The gardens were listed Grade I on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in 1987.[31]
In typography[]
The National Trust's corporate font, designed by Paul Barnes, is based on an inscription in the grotto, created around 1748.[32][33][34] The inscription was destroyed in error around 1960 and a replica was made from photographs.[35][36]
Gallery[]
View taken from the Grotto, of the lake in autumn colours
Stourhead's lake and foliage as seen from a high hill vantage point
Stourhead House
The Temple of Apollo high on a hill overlooking the gardens, based on a circular temple at Baalbec
Gatehouse
The Temple of Flora 1744-46 by Henry Flitcroft
Entrance front
Library
Bridge 1762 and Pantheon
The Pantheon 1753-54 by Henry Flitcroft
interior Pantheon
Statue in Pantheon
Temple of Flora and Bridge
View from Grotto
River God in Grotto
Sleeping nymph statue in the Grotto
Grotto text, a quotation from Pope
Temple of Apollo 1757, by Henry Flitcroft
The Lake
Rhododendrons in flower
Temple of Apollo from the lake
King Alfred's Tower c.1770 by Henry Flitcroft
Gothic Cottage c.1780 altered 1806
St Peter's Pump 15th century, relocated from Bristol to Stourhead 1766
Boathouse
The Convent c.1765
The Obelisk 1839-40
Bristol High Cross 1373 relocated to Stourhead 1764
The Lake
References[]
- Notes
- ^ "Stourhead". Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ^ "National Trust – Stourhead". National Trust. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
- ^ Dodd 1981, p. 31
- ^ Dodd 1981, p. 33
- ^ Dodd 1981, p. 34
- ^ Dodd 1981, p. 6
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Dodd 1981, p. 4
- ^ Historic England. "Stourhead House (1131104)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
- ^ Dodd, Dudley (September 2016). "'Mr Studio's' Hand-Coloured Prints at Stourhead". Print Quarterly. XXXIII (3).
- ^ Colvin 1997, p. 123
- ^ Colvin 1997, p. 231
- ^ Colvin 1997, p. 529
- ^ Colvin 1997, p. 368
- ^ Jump up to: a b Colvin 1997, p. 230
- ^ Colvin 1997, p. 1058
- ^ Jump up to: a b Bergdoll 2000, p. 77
- ^ Historic England. "The Pantheon (1131102)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Bergdoll 2000, p. 78
- ^ Woodbridge 1970, pp. 31–33
- ^ Woodbridge 1970, p. 31
- ^ Historic England. "The Temple of Flora (1318472)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "The Palladian Bridge (1131099)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "The Rockwork Bridge (1199172)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "The Grotto and The River God's Cave (1318473)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "The Gothic Cottage (1199233)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "The Obelisk (1283405)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "The Temple of Apollo (1131100)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "The Bristol High Cross (1318471)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
- ^ Historic England. "Rockwork Boathouse (1199203)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
- ^ Times Literary Supplement, 12 October 2007, p. 4
- ^ Historic England. "Stourhead: parks and gardens (1000471)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
- ^ "New look National Trust magazine rolls out". The Drum. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
- ^ "National Trust branding". Luke Charles. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
- ^ National Trust Brand Standards (PDF). National Trust. 2014. pp. 30–33.
- ^ Barnes, Paul. "James Mosley: A Life in Objects". Eye. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
- ^ Mosley, James (1999). The nymph and the grot: the revival of the sanserif letter. London: Friends of the St Bride Printing Library. pp. 1–19. ISBN 9780953520107.
- Bibliography
- Bergdoll, Barry (2000). European Architecture: 1750–1890 (1st ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 77. ISBN 978-0-19-284222-0.
- Colvin, H.M. (1997). A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–1840 (3rd ed.). New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-07207-5.
- Dodd, Dudley (1981). Stourhead. The National Trust.
- Hussey, C. (1956). English country houses: Mid Georgian, 1760–1800. pp. 234–8.
- Woodbridge, Kenneth (2001) [1982]. The Stourhead Landscape. National Trust.
- Woodbridge, Kenneth (1970). Landscape and Antiquity Aspects of English Culture at Stourhead: 1718–1838. Oxford: Clarendon.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stourhead. |
- Buildings by Colen Campbell
- Country houses in Wiltshire
- English Landscape Garden style
- 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
- Landscape design history of England
- National Trust properties in Wiltshire
- Palladian architecture in England
- 1725 establishments in Great Britain