Brings both house and garden vividly to life... It makes for a gripping family saga. What is wonderful about this book is its range [...] and Dodd is especially good at setting the garden in context. A magnificent achievement
Gardens Illustrated
Dodd [is] meticulous and skilful. This is a finely crafted work and its telling illuminated by magnificent images of the property. It makes a wonderful addition to a library but it is also an important record of the history of one of the country's most splendid estates
The English Garden
Going through such a comprehensive account, Dudley Dodd gives the background and context that is needed to fully enjoy this amazing landscape garden, and brings Stourhead's story to alive
Country Gardener
With sketches, plans and stunning photography by the renowned photographer Marianne Majerus, this book will appeal to those who know and love the gardens as well as those who are yet to visit
Wiltshire Living
Dudley Dodd captures the beauty and history of the Palladian jewel in Wiltshire and its colourful owners, the Hoares, who acquired the house in 1717 and used their wealth, creativity and taste to nurture the fine gardens we see today
Daily Mail
Using original and other contemporary artworks and references, a detailed picture of how the owners of Stourhead developed their vision and nurtured it is entertainingly and painstakingly presented
Garden News
A beautiful coffee table book for anyone with a interest in plant and natural photography, the history of British gardens and architecture and more, it comes highly recommended
Amateur Photographer
A beautiful illustrated guide to its history, with photos, plans and sketches of the Eden once described as "more beautiful than any landscape put on canvas"'
i News
Captures the stunning vision of Henry Hoare
The Lady
Written by Dudley Dodd and featuring beautiful new images by renowned photographer Marianne Majerus, <i>Stourhead: Henry Hoare's Paradise Revisited</i> offers a comprehensive visual history of this celebrated landscape, its famous Palladian house and art collection
Outdoor Photography
A book in which there is so much visual richness to enjoy
Home & Garden
Dudley Dodd, a figure from the golden days of the National Trust, is the perfect guide
House & Garden
'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 Garden
The 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 many its breathtaking vistas are paradise.
Dudley Dodd charts the owners of Stourhead and the history of the landscape, house and art collection. He describes how flights of folly, individual flair, taste and careful stewardship have nurtured a national treasure, which is among the finest English landscape gardens and, since 1946, a jewel of The National Trust. The stunning new pictures by the renowned photographer Marianne Majerus provide an up to date record of this enduring Elysium.
An illustrated history of the landscape garden at Stourhead, created by generations of the Hoare banking dynasty.