Built and modified by different generations of the Hoare family, Stourhead House is an 18th century Palladian-style villa that forms the centrepiece of the garden. Within its walls, there's a significant collection of furniture, designed by Chippendale the Younger, along with artwork collected by Henry Hoare II and Sir Richard Colt Hoare during their Grand Tours around the world.
The Secret Lives of Paintings
Can you trust what you see in a painting? Is that label telling you the whole story? We invite you to look beneath the surface and you’ll find paintings with secret lives – past and present.
You’re invited to explore the secret lives of Stourhead’s paintings. Discover stories of paintings lost, paintings that have travelled the world, and paintings that don’t always tell the truth. If you have an eye for detail, you may even be able to spot an intruder amongst centuries of artistry.
Come behind the scenes of the conservation studio, follow the discoveries made during the conservation and cleaning of a mysterious painting. Long suspected to be the first ever painting of Stourhead, ‘Stourhead in its Infancy’ has now returned. See the painting a brand-new light and delve into secrets once hidden, now revealed.
Open daily until Sunday 8 November.
Stourhead collection highlights
Inside the house is a significant collection of furniture, artwork, and heritage pieces collected by the Hoare family during their time at Stourhead. Here are just a few of the things you can expect to see.
Angelica Kauffman’s fine oil painting, Penelope and Euriclea, has finally returned to Stourhead after 140 years. Thanks to the generous support of a National Trust fund (set up by the late Simon Sainsbury) and a member of the Hoare family, the conservation charity was able to place a winning bid for the painting at auction. The painting will feature in a wider exploration of Kauffman’s work during 2024.
The Pope’s Cabinet was made in Rome in around 1585, probably for the ‘Iron’ Pope, Sixtus V. It's the most significant example of Italian pietre dure cabinet-making in Britain. Pietre dure, meaning ‘hard rocks’ in Italian, is the technique of inlaying pieces of highly polished coloured stones to create a decorative image. The cabinet at Stourhead is the finest surviving piece of its kind and date.
The lunette window is a main feature of the Library. The vibrant image was created by painting two panes of very thin crown glass on both sides using glass paint and transparent enamel. The two panes were then held together in the surrounding frame by putty.
The window was created by glass artist Francis Eginton and is signed by him in the lower left pane of the central section: 'Frs. Eginton 1803'.
The carpet in the Saloon was made by the world-famous Axminster carpet company in the 19th century, and is the oldest original carpet in the house. It was rescued by servants from a fire that destroyed the central part of the house in 1902, and cut to fit the Saloon’s layout – the excess pieces have been found neatly folded underneath. The carpet weighs approximately 300kg.
1 of 4
Discover more at Stourhead
Find out when Stourhead is open, how to get here, the things to see and do and more.
Stourhead is home to one of the world's most famous gardens, with myriad temples, grottos, trees and water features to explore. Read more about what you'll see during your visit.
Explore the wider countryside around the Stourhead estate. Discover an Iron Age hillfort, Alfred’s Tower and ancient woodland. Then rest a while and listen to the wide variety of birds and creatures that call this estate home.
Discover the fascinating story of Stourhead House in Wiltshire, and find out how different generations of the Hoare family helped to shape it over the years.
Discover the history of Stourhead's garden, from its creation by Henry Hoare II in the 18th century, to the various buildings and features that have been added since.
Discover grand mansions and family homes including a former abbey and the surrounding village. Step inside to explore rooms, spiral staircases and towers. Bring the whole family to enjoy a fun day out in Wiltshire.
