STOURHEAD: HENRY HOARE’S PARADISE REVISITED

by Dudley Dodd (Apollo £40, 320 pp)

‘EVERYBODY has their own idea of paradise, but for most Englishmen it will resemble the view across the lake and towards the Pantheon at Stourhead,’ writes James Stourton in the foreword to this stunning book. Dudley Dodd captures the beauty and history of the Palladian jewel in Wiltshire and its colourful owners, the Hoares, who acquired the house in 1717 and used their wealth, creativity and taste to nurture the fine gardens we see today.