LONGLEAT HOUSE, WARMINSTER, WILTSHIRE
Longleat House today
Longleat House is set in 9,000 acres of rolling countryside, just a few miles from the Wiltshire market town of Warminster.
The estate consists of 4,000 acres of farmland, 4,000 acres of woodland, which includes a Center Parcs holiday park, and a further 1,000 acres of ‘Capability Brown’ landscaped gardens. It is regarded as one of the finest examples of Elizabethan architecture in Britain.
Currently the seat of the Marquesses of Bath, it has been in the Thynn family since the 16th century. The present incumbent is Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath but, early in 2010, he passed the management of the estate to his son, Viscount Weymouth.
Longleat stands on the site of an Augustine priory which was dissolved during Henry VIII’s reign. In 1540, Sir John Thynn(e), the 1st Marquess of Bath and a former employee of Henry VIII, purchased the priory ruins for £53 and had a house built on the site. When, in 1567, this house was destroyed by fire, Sir John bought a quarry of Bath stone and rebuilt it. The new house took 12 years to build and was completed shortly before his death.
A View of Longleat by Jan Siberechts, 1675
Though the exterior retains its exquisite Tudor façade, the interior has been greatly altered to reflect the changing dictates of comfort and fashion.
The great hall still has its hammer beam roof and carved fireplace but the rest of the furnishings are Victorian. Much of the interior decoration is in the opulent Italian style, modelled after estates in Venice and Genoa.
There are superb Flemish tapestries, beautiful period furniture and fine art, dating back as far as the 16th century, hangs on the lavishly decorated walls.
The original long gallery (90 feet long) has been converted into a saloon. Family portraits in the great hall trace the Thynn family back to Tudor times, and more modern murals by the 7th Marquis are on display in the West Wing.
In 1949, Longleat became the first stately home to open to the public and Longleat Safari Park opened in 1966, as the first drive through safari park outside Africa. It is currently home to over five hundred animals, including giraffes, monkeys, rhinos, lions, tigers, cheetahs and wolves.
The Interior
The Great Hall is the last fully Elizabethan room and, at one time, it was the heart of the house.
The Lower Dining Room is hung with family portraits
The Saloon, originally the Long Gallery
The Grand Staircase – A Gothic Revival Addition
The Gardens
Longleat House presents an impressive facade, surrounded by formal gardens and parkland.
A general view
The Maze
The Safari Park
Rakes And Rascals 
Starting a new column? Brit mansions and country houses? Love it!
Glad you like the new posts, Cassia. I started this series in August and to see the two earlier posts just click on Great English Country Houses under Categories on the right hand side.
Fun to see! This is why I throw myself into these novels. I guess I’ll go start my three loads of laundry now… “sigh”.
Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to comment. 🙂
[…] GREAT ENGLISH COUNTRY HOUSES. […]
Beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing this.
Thank you, Kadee! 🙂
I love this one, too. I can’t imagine living in such a huge house. How cold it must have been when going from one room to another, and with rooms so large even a fireplace couldn’t keep it warm. Thanks Carol, not only are these posts interesting and lovely, they make for stimulating the old mind.
Yes, the poor servants must have been up at the crack of dawn to light the fires in every room but I agree it must have been cold even so. I suppose today’s central heating has made us all hot-house flowers. They were probably of a tougher constitution all those years ago!
I enjoy doing the research for these articles…definitely keeps my old brain active!
I love this house! It is on my to visit list the next time I’m in England.
Oh my goodness what a place- it’s huge! Also, very gorgeous. Thanks for sharing. 🙂