Dyrham Park

Lower part of the park and the house

Dyrham Park is a baroque mansion in an ancient deer park near the village of Dyrham in Gloucestershire, England. For the history of the manor of Dyrham, see main article Dyrham.

Description

Dyrham Park house

The house is set in 274 acres (1.1 km²) of gardens and parkland. The west front of 1692 was commissioned from the Huguenot architect, Samuel Hauduroy, and the east front of 1704 from William Talman, architect of Chatsworth, by William Blathwayt, who was Secretary at War to William III.

Because of Blathwayt’s royal connections, and his influential uncle, Thomas Povey, Dyrham became a showcase of Dutch decorative arts. The collection includes delftware, paintings, and furniture. Eighteenth century additions include furniture by Gillow and Linnell. The interiors have remained little altered since decorated by Blathwayt. The Blathwayt family lived at the House until 1956, when the government acquired it. The National Trust acquired it in 1961.

Access

West lawn and St Peter's Church

The house and gardens are open to the public from February to December, from 10 - 5. There are also select days that they open on, the best way to find out it check the National Trust webpage on Dyrham Park. The grounds are open all year long, from January to mid February it opens at 11 and there after it is 10-5pm. There is a bus that regularly goes down to the house, gardens, tea room and shop but there also is a designated path that one may use to walk to the house.

Dogs are not permitted into the park, but it does have an exercise area that is available to walk the dog before you go into the grounds.

Events

Popular music concerts are held in the park along with open-air theatre productions, Easter egg hunts, guided tours of the house, park and garden, Perry Pear Day and many more.

Associations

Dyrham the Seat of William Blathwait Esq. Engraved by Johannes Kip published 1712 in "The Ancient & Present State of Gloucestershire", by Sir Robert Atkyns(d.1711)

Dyrham Park was one of the houses used as a filming location for the 1993 Merchant Ivory film The Remains of the Day (others included Badminton House and Powderham Castle). An aerial view of Dyrham Park was also briefly featured in the opening title sequence of the 2008 film Australia. It was also used for some of the outdoor and garden scenes in the 1999 BBC mini-series Wives and Daughters.

In September 2010, the BBC started filming episode four of the new series of Doctor Who at Dyrham Park.

Deer in the park

External links

• Dyrham Park information at the National Trust