Pictures of Stourhead

Stourhead Gardens near Mere is a magical place - at anytime of the year.

While most head for the lake and woodlands during the summer, the estate is equally inviting during the winter months.

The magnificent landscaped garden in the Stourhead Estate in
Wiltshire. This view shows the Turf Bridge with the Pantheon in the
distance. The garden is an idealisation of classical Italian landscapes
such as those by Claude Lorrain, Nicolas Poussin and Gaspard
Dughet and was largely created by Henry Hoare II who had seen the
works of these great artists on his Grand Tour. Henry inherited the
estate from his father in 1741 and the garden became his absorbing
interest for the next forty years following the loss of both his wives.
Henry dammed the river Stour to create the lake at the heart of the
garden and employed the architect Henry Flitcroft to design the
neo-classical buildings. Henry Hoare II died in 1785 but his
descendants continued to live on the estate until 1947.
The garden is now in the care of the National Trust.


The Palladian Bridge at Stourhead




Pantheon