A Visit to Wilton House
The Earl of Pembroke's Stately Home in Wiltshire
Wilton House and Gardens
Wilton House is the family home of the Earl of Pembroke. The property has been placed into trust to protect it for future generations which requires it to be opened to the public.
The house lies on the southern edge of the town of Wilton, once the county town and gives rise to the county name, Wiltshire.
Mrs M and I were celebrating our 46th wedding anniversary, on May 12th, and decided to spend time visiting this fine property and gardens.
We arrived half an hour before opening time which is 11 am, so bear that in mind if you normally like early starts.
Wilton House is built on the site of a ninth century nunnery and part of the ruins of this can be seen inside the house through a glass floor window.
It is is set in 21 acres of parkland through which flows the River Nadder. It was in 1544 following the dissolution of the monasteries that the land was granted to Sir William Herbert by Henry Vlll. The present house is the result of rebuilding following a fire in 1647 with only a small section of the original house surviving.
(Click on individual photos for a full and enlarged view)
The house has not one, but seven state rooms designed for the comfort of visiting members of the royal family down through the ages. It was always important for earls and other members of high society to keep-in with the royals.
The house is full of paintings and has a large collection of Van Dyck’s and works also by Rubens and Rembrandt amongst others.
There is a good collection of sculptures and so for those who love art there is plenty to see.
We enjoyed a guided tour that really brought to life the history of Wilton House.
In the gardens one of the features that is much loved and used by TV and film companies is the Palladian Bridge built 1736-37. The bridge crosses the River Nadder but today the bridge was closed to anyone wishing to cross it. I am not sure if that is a permanent closure.
The gardens are beautiful as the above photos show. There is a fine mixture of lawn and woodland. As we walked around following the river, we came across a Japanese garden with its intricate bridges crossing the ponds.
The Earl of Pembroke is definitely a petrolhead. His car collection is on display and I couldn’t resist a look around. There are some fine cars to see and all of them are driven by the Earl.
Before leaving and buying some lovely things from the shop we enjoyed a meal in the cafe.
It was good to visit Wilton House and Gardens and I can recommend it. Here is the link to their website.