Stourhead, Wiltshire

First opened in the 1740s, Stourhead has captivated visitors for centuries - on opening, one magazine even described it as a `living work of art'. This guidebook shows why, exploring the Palladian mansion, housing a picture collection so large it required a new room to be built, to its world-famous landscape garden, to the 2,000 acres of woodland, chalk downs and parkland. But Stourhead is also a home; created by the Hoare family, they have lived here since it was opened and their story of triumphs and tragedies adds a new dimension to this extensive estate.