Stourhead - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting
Botanical Gardens
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About Stourhead
Stourhead is the best example of a garden inspired by the great landscape painters of the seveneeenth century. Ernst Gombrich suggests it should bear the signature of an Italianized French painter: Claude Lorrain. The estate is about 4 km 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.
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Attractions Near Stourhead
Temple Of Apollo
0.5km from Stourhead
This circular temple was built in 1765, by the architect Henry Flitcroft, to outdo William Chamber’s earlier Temple of the Sun at Kew. It is dedicated to Apollo, the sun god. Nestled on a hilltop, the temple has delightful views over the lake.
White Sheet Hill
2.64km from Stourhead
White Sheet Hill is another fine example of elevated chalk grassland which has evidence of ancient history at its summit. It has a neolithic enclosure dating back to 3,000 BC, and an Iron Age hill fort at the top. There are also Bronze Age barrows, some of which are clearly visible. It is incredible to think they have survived for 3 to 4,000 years. The Roman road which runs along the hill was at one time the main route through the Selwood Forest. The hill is part of the Stourhead estate and has
King Alfred's Tower
3.46km from Stourhead
King Alfred’s Tower is a 160ft high folly, designed by Henry Flitcroft for Henry Hoare II in 1772. It is believed to mark the site where King Alfred the Great rallied his troops in 878. The tower commemorates the accession of George III to the throne in 1760 and the end of the Seven Years War. The 49-metre-high triangular tower has a hollow centre and is climbed by means of a spiral staircase in one of the corner projections. It includes a statue of King Alfred and dedication inscription.
Wincanton Racecourse
8km from Stourhead
Wincanton Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Wincanton, Somerset, England. The steeplechase fences are large, making it a good test of a chaser. Three fences in quick succession in the second half of the home-straight make for exciting racing and often change the complexion of a finish dramatically; resulting in a great many close finishes.
Hauser & Wirth Somerset
9.07km from Stourhead
Hauser & Wirth Somerset is a pioneering world-class gallery and multi-purpose arts center which acts as a destination for experiencing art, architecture, and so more. It has a meadow, hedged enclosures and a cloister-like courtyard. Grasses, including miscanthus varieties and the purple moor-grass 'Moorhexe', make it an easily recognisable Oudolf garden design. Landscape architect Luis Laplace produced a plan for the historic farm which became the gallery.
Longleat House
9.47km from Stourhead
Longleat House was widely regarded as one of the best examples of high Elizabethan architecture in Britain and one of the most beautiful stately homes open to the public. The house is set in 1,000 acres of parkland landscaped by Capability Brown, with 4,000 acres of let farmland and 4,000 acres of woodland, which includes a Center Parcs holiday village. It was the first stately home to open to the public, and the Longleat estate includes the first safari park outside Africa
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Wiltshire
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Wiltshire is a county in South West England with an area of 3,485 km2. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. The county town was originally Wilton, after which the county is named, but Wiltshire Council is now based in the county town of Trowbridge.
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For more information about Stourhead, visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stourhead
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