Stourhead

''Brings both house and garden vividly to life... A magnificent achievement'' Gardens Illustrated''A finely crafted work... it is an important record of the history of one of the country''s most splendid estates'' The English GardenThe Palladian house of Stourhead, in Wiltshire, occupies a plateau above the confluence of three valleys. When you cross the south lawn and descend the tree-hung slopes, you glimpse a lake adorned with classical temples. Continue and you will find an allegorical grotto; a gothick hideaway; a Pantheon of demi-gods and, on high, a deserted temple to Apollo. To the west Alfred''s Tower commands views over three counties, a gaunt landmark to English monarchy and patriotism.This is how in Georgian times Henry Hoare ¿ known as Henry the Magnificent ¿ would have explored the garden he designed. Generations of the Hoare family, bankers who combined service with enlightened patronage and philanthropy, have developed and cultivated the garden at Stourhead, and for man