Longleat House, Longleat, Wiltshire
Exterior view of the east facade of Longleat House, as seen from the banks of the lake to the east. Longleat House is built on the site of an Augustinian Priory founded 1210 by Sir John Vernon. It was dissolved in 1529 and sold off, ending up as the property of a John Thynne in 1541. He adapted the buildings to make a home. These were partly destroyed by fire in 1567 and the building of the present house began in 1568. It was then refronted in 1572, 1801 and 1811. The garden terrace was created in 1670, to the designs of Sir Christopher Wren (who built St Paul's Cathedral). The landscape of the Park is among the finest in England, part of it is ancient planting, part of it was layed out in the 17th cetury (the main aproach avenue from Horningsham Lodge and the terrace) and part, by Capability Brown, in the mid 18th century.
