Non-members pay to park.
Enter this code in JustPark to pay, or at the machine. Members park free after checking in.
Stourhead was called 'a living work of art' when its garden opened in the 1740s. Henry Hoare II dammed the River Stour to make a lake and ringed it with the Temple of Flora, the Temple of Apollo, a grotto and a Pantheon modelled on the one in Rome. The house, one of the first Palladian villas in England, holds a Regency library, Chippendale furniture and a picture gallery to which Angelica Kauffman's Penelope and Euriclea returned after 140 years away. Beyond lie 2,650 acres of chalk downs, ancient woods and Iron Age hillforts, with waymarked walks out to Alfred's Tower, a 160ft folly with views over three counties. Reviewers love the lake circuit in every season, from snowdrops to rhododendrons, and praise the room guides and the library. Tips from visitors: only the ground floor of the house is shown, the loos are a fair walk from the lake so go before setting off, and dogs on short leads are welcome in the garden all year.
Garden
Later dates are in the calendar.
Prices, non-members
Free entry for National Trust members. Off-peak admission is available, please ask at visitor reception. We use the JustPark app and on-site payment machines for parking. Charges apply to non-members (£4.50). National Trust members park free but must scan their membership card at one of the car park machines or register their visit via the JustPark app. The wider estate is free to access.
Last orders in the restaurant are half an hour before closing.
Alfred's Tower is open weekends and bank holidays, April - October. Please check website for additional Friday opening. Last entry to the tower is at 2.45pm.
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Dog friendly
3 miles, moderate, about 1 hour 15 minutes, on paths surfaced with gravel, grass or woodland floor. Starts at Stourhead visitor reception, grid reference ST778340, from the main car park; the route passes the Spread Eagle Inn courtyard and St Peter's Church. Takes in Park Hill Camp hillfort and the Six Wells Valley.
