Dyrham Park

Dyrham Park is a baroque country house near the village of Dyrham in South Gloucestershire. The Grade I listed building stands on the site of a former manor and was built in stages for William Blathwayt between the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Its final façade was designed by William Talman, while earlier wings were added by Samuel Hauduroy and William Talman himself. The house contains artworks and furniture from around the world, with a strong Dutch influence including Delftware and paintings by Dutch Masters. The estate has links to the Blathwayt family, who owned it until 1956 and filled the house with objects gathered from their travels. The gardens were designed by George London and later developed by Charles Harcourt Masters, featuring formal layouts, water features and statuary. The parkland supports a herd of fallow deer and includes a 13th-century church where many family members are buried. Visitors find a limestone house with slate roofs, sumptuously decorated interiors of wood panelling and Delftware tiles. The state bed with crimson and yellow velvet hangings dates from around 1704, while the entrance hall displays bird paintings by Melchior d’Hondecoeter. The grounds include an orangery with a glazed roof, a stable block now used as a tea-room, and artificial lakes with cascades. A statue of Neptune stands about 320 metres east of the house, and the parkland offers views across the formal gardens.