Corsham Court

Corsham Court stands on the edge of the small Wiltshire town of Corsham. The house is a 16th-century building with later additions, set in a landscaped park designed by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. It was begun in 1582 by Thomas Smythe and enlarged in the 18th century by Brown, who added the Picture Gallery and State Rooms. The Methuen family have owned the house since 1745 and still live there today. The art collection includes paintings inherited in 1757 and later works by British artists. The house is Grade I listed and the park is Grade II* on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. Brown’s landscape plan introduced a ha-ha to keep the view unbroken and planted specimen trees such as oriental planes. Humphry Repton completed the lake and Nash remodelled the north front in Strawberry Hill Gothic style. The Gothic Bath House survives from Brown’s work, and a folly ruin incorporates medieval stonework. Inside, the Picture Gallery is a triple cube with a coffered plaster ceiling and high cove stuccoed in scrolls. The Long Gallery holds Italian Old Masters and furniture by John Cobb and pier glasses by Robert Adam. The stables, riding school and entrance archway remain from earlier centuries. Bath Spa University uses parts of the house for postgraduate studios and research spaces.