Stourhead is best known for its 18th-century landscape garden, laid out around a large lake, with a generous helping of temples, grottoes etc.    The Palladian villa, home of the Hoare family, contains a good number of pictures, mainly from the 18th century like the grounds, plus a gallery of earlier 'black masters'. One of the smaller rooms is devoted to 19th-century landscapes, including three by Yeend King. In the hall and 'saloon' are a couple of Leighton portraits of ladies of the house, as well as several works by Hare, a painter largely unrepresented elsewhere: in addition to portraits and a self-portrait, there are several of his salon pictures, although the National Trust seems less than wholly enthusiastic in its display of the latter. Take opera glasses! Website Map

Works at Stourhead by St George Hare