Stourhead
Every year the staff at Arundel Castle have the chance to go on an outgoing, which is organised by our head guide, Brenda. We always go somewhere within easily coach distance from Arundel and the idea is that the guides who work at the house/property that we visit, return to us the following year. It always takes place on a Monday, as the Castle is closed then.
This year we went to Stourhead, which is probably more famous for its gardens, than for the house itself. The estate originally belonged to the Stourton family, who built their medieval house here. Sadly, this was demolished by Henry Hoare, of the banking family, when he purchased the old manor in 1717. Luckily, the thirteenth century church is still standing and houses the Stourton family tombs. The surrounding graveyard contains a collection of old and interesting tombstones, plus a very ancient yew tree.
When Henry Hoare began the creation of the current house, the Palladian style of architecture was in fashion. The original design was by Colen Campbell, but Henry abandoned it when the villa was built and since the work was completed, the appearance of the building has changed. Rooms have been added and the use of various parts of the house has altered over the years.
A devastating fire broke out on 16th April 1902, but a team of over a hundred people managed to rescue many of the paintings, furniture, ornaments and silver from the first floor. The owners at the time were Henry and Alda Hoare and they renovated the property. Sadly, their only son, Harry, was killed in action in Egypt during the First World War and a number of the exhibits in the house tell his story.
Facing the prospect of crippling death duties in the future, Henry and Alda decided to leave the property to the National Trust in 1946. Sir Henry and Lady Alda died within day of each the following year.
Our visit was arranged on a free-flow basis, so some of us visited the house first, some the garden and some headed to the restaurant for lunch. The guides at Stourhead were all very knowledgeable and very welcoming and the rooms that are open to the public contain an interesting collection of paintings, furniture and other items. I was particularly struck by the pietra dura cabinets, with their multicoloured, semi-precious stones. The only minus about the house itself, was that some of the lighting was so subdued that it was difficult to actually see the paintings that were hanging on the walls.
The weather was cloudy all day, with only a few small patches of blue sky, so unfortunately the light did not show the gardens at their best. The trees were just starting to change colour to their autumn hues, with an occasional splash of bright yellow or orange amongst the darker leaves. In a fortnight or so’s time, the park will be beautiful.
As an added bonus, our return journey passed Stonehenge, so we had a fleeting glimpse of the stones and some of the barrows in the surrounding ritual landscape.
Thank you to Brenda for arranging such an enjoyable and interesting day.
