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Dyrham Park
Dyrham Park (/ˈdɪrəm/) is a baroque English country house in an ancient deer park near the village of Dyrham in South Gloucestershire, England. The house, with the attached orangery and stable block, is a Grade I listed building, while the park is Grade II* listed on the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.
The current house was built for William Blathwayt in stages during the 17th and early 18th centuries on the site of a previous manor house, with the final façade being designed by William Talman. It contains art works and furniture from around the world, particularly Holland, and includes a collection of Dutch Masters. The house is linked to the 13th-century church of St Peter, also Grade I listed, where many of the Blathwayt family are buried. The house is surrounded by 274 acres (111 ha) of formal gardens, and parkland which supports a herd of fallow deer. The grounds, which were originally laid out by George London and later developed by Charles Harcourt Masters, include water features and statuary.
The house and estate are now owned by the National Trust and underwent extensive renovation in 2014 and 2015. They are open to the public and host events and attractions, including open-air concerts. They have also been used as a location for film and television productions.
The Manor of Dyrham has been recorded since the Domesday Book of 1086, when there were 34 households. The first lord of the manor to be resident may have been William Denys, who was an Esquire of the Body to Henry VIII and later High Sheriff of Gloucestershire. He was granted the licence to empark 500 acres (200 ha) of Dyrham in 1511, although not all of this area was enclosed. This meant that he could enclose the land with a wall or hedge bank and maintain a captive herd of deer within the park, over which he had exclusive hunting rights; the name "Dyrham" is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word dirham, an enclosure for deer. The estate was sold to the Wynter family in 1571 and Sir George Wynter was allowed to empark further land in 1620.
In 1689, the estate was acquired through marriage by William Blathwayt, who was Secretary at War to William III. He retained the existing Tudor building and expanded it in stages. The west front of 1692 was commissioned from Huguenot architect Samuel Hauduroy, and includes an Italianate double staircase leading from the terrace to the grounds. In 1698, a stable block was added with space for 26 horses and servants' quarters above around a courtyard. The east front of 1704 was designed by William Talman, architect of Chatsworth. The construction of the east wing included demolition of the remains of the original Tudor house and the addition of a statue of an eagle on the roof.
Dyrham next became a showcase of Dutch decorative arts. The collection includes delftware, paintings, and furniture. Eighteenth-century additions include furniture by Gillow and Linnell. The interiors have remained little altered since decorated by Blathwayt. The gardens were designed by George London in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
The Blathwayt family owned the house until 1956, when the government acquired it. During the Second World War it was used for child evacuees while rented by Anne, Baroness Islington, the widow of John Dickson-Poynder, 1st Baron Islington (1866-1936), a former Governor of New Zealand. Lady Islington redecorated many of the rooms. The National Trust acquired it in 1961. In 2015, major renovation work included replacing the roof. Part of the cost was met from a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £85,000. While the repairs were in progress, visitors could view the house from a rooftop walkway. In 2020, the National Trust published a report which examined the connections of its properties to the British Empire. The report's authors noted that Dyrham Park was owned by several individuals who were involved in administering colonies, including Blathwayt, who was a prominent official in the Southern Department.
The limestone building has slate and lead roofs above the attics. The two-storey west front, which was built in the 1690s, has three bays of each side of the central doorway, which has Doric columns, with smaller pavilions at the ends of the wings. One of the wings creates a covered passageway to the church of St Peter. The east front, which was added around 1704, has shallow projecting wings and a central door under a balustrade with an Italianate double staircase leading down to the lawns. A central pedestal is inscribed "virtute et veritate". Above it is an eagle statue, carved by John Harvey of Bath, representing the family crest of the Blathwayt family.
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Dyrham Park
Dyrham Park (/ˈdɪrəm/) is a baroque English country house in an ancient deer park near the village of Dyrham in South Gloucestershire, England. The house, with the attached orangery and stable block, is a Grade I listed building, while the park is Grade II* listed on the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.
The current house was built for William Blathwayt in stages during the 17th and early 18th centuries on the site of a previous manor house, with the final façade being designed by William Talman. It contains art works and furniture from around the world, particularly Holland, and includes a collection of Dutch Masters. The house is linked to the 13th-century church of St Peter, also Grade I listed, where many of the Blathwayt family are buried. The house is surrounded by 274 acres (111 ha) of formal gardens, and parkland which supports a herd of fallow deer. The grounds, which were originally laid out by George London and later developed by Charles Harcourt Masters, include water features and statuary.
The house and estate are now owned by the National Trust and underwent extensive renovation in 2014 and 2015. They are open to the public and host events and attractions, including open-air concerts. They have also been used as a location for film and television productions.
The Manor of Dyrham has been recorded since the Domesday Book of 1086, when there were 34 households. The first lord of the manor to be resident may have been William Denys, who was an Esquire of the Body to Henry VIII and later High Sheriff of Gloucestershire. He was granted the licence to empark 500 acres (200 ha) of Dyrham in 1511, although not all of this area was enclosed. This meant that he could enclose the land with a wall or hedge bank and maintain a captive herd of deer within the park, over which he had exclusive hunting rights; the name "Dyrham" is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word dirham, an enclosure for deer. The estate was sold to the Wynter family in 1571 and Sir George Wynter was allowed to empark further land in 1620.
In 1689, the estate was acquired through marriage by William Blathwayt, who was Secretary at War to William III. He retained the existing Tudor building and expanded it in stages. The west front of 1692 was commissioned from Huguenot architect Samuel Hauduroy, and includes an Italianate double staircase leading from the terrace to the grounds. In 1698, a stable block was added with space for 26 horses and servants' quarters above around a courtyard. The east front of 1704 was designed by William Talman, architect of Chatsworth. The construction of the east wing included demolition of the remains of the original Tudor house and the addition of a statue of an eagle on the roof.
Dyrham next became a showcase of Dutch decorative arts. The collection includes delftware, paintings, and furniture. Eighteenth-century additions include furniture by Gillow and Linnell. The interiors have remained little altered since decorated by Blathwayt. The gardens were designed by George London in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
The Blathwayt family owned the house until 1956, when the government acquired it. During the Second World War it was used for child evacuees while rented by Anne, Baroness Islington, the widow of John Dickson-Poynder, 1st Baron Islington (1866-1936), a former Governor of New Zealand. Lady Islington redecorated many of the rooms. The National Trust acquired it in 1961. In 2015, major renovation work included replacing the roof. Part of the cost was met from a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £85,000. While the repairs were in progress, visitors could view the house from a rooftop walkway. In 2020, the National Trust published a report which examined the connections of its properties to the British Empire. The report's authors noted that Dyrham Park was owned by several individuals who were involved in administering colonies, including Blathwayt, who was a prominent official in the Southern Department.
The limestone building has slate and lead roofs above the attics. The two-storey west front, which was built in the 1690s, has three bays of each side of the central doorway, which has Doric columns, with smaller pavilions at the ends of the wings. One of the wings creates a covered passageway to the church of St Peter. The east front, which was added around 1704, has shallow projecting wings and a central door under a balustrade with an Italianate double staircase leading down to the lawns. A central pedestal is inscribed "virtute et veritate". Above it is an eagle statue, carved by John Harvey of Bath, representing the family crest of the Blathwayt family.