Great West Way Travel Magazine | Issue 07

Left to right: Stourhead in autumn;
Bristol Botanic Garden Evolutionary Dell
The Christmas Tree Shop also stocks a selection of food and
drink, including our very own Windsor Great Park Sparkling
Wine, grown in a vineyard on the Estate.
Stourhead, Wiltshire
A little way off the Great West Way in south Wiltshire, but a
must-visit if you’re in the area, Stourhead is one of the Great
West Way’s most famous gardens. Described as ‘a living work
of art’ when it opened in the 1740s, its classical architecture
includes a grotto, a gothic cottage and its own Temple of
Apollo. For Alan Power, head gardener, his favourite time of
year here is autumn: ‘the garden, the architecture, the plants
and the trees all perform perfectly together. It’s like an encore
before the rest for winter.’
The after-dark illuminated trail through the garden at
Stourhead returns for its fourth year on selected dates
between 25 November 2022 – 1 January 2023 with over a
million twinkling lights and seasonal sounds fill the air with
festive fun.
Strawberry Hill House, Twickenham
Strawberry Hill House has been open to visitors for over
250 years, it is the former summer residence of Horace
Walpole, author of ‘The Castle of Ontranto’ and is famous
for being Britain’s finest example of Georgian Gothic Revival
architecture. Inspired by William Kent and the ideas behind
the English Landscape Movement, Horace Walpole created
a romantic garden to complement his Gothic castle. Formal
borders mixed with groves of trees and shrubs crossed by
winding paths, and flowers and fragrance, a fine lawn, an open
terrace and meadows that led straight to the River Thames.
The five-acre garden has been, as far as possible, restored to
its original appearance using Eighteenth-Century maps and
paintings as well as Walpole’s own writing. It is Grade II listed
and of national importance as a reminder of a fascinating
period in garden history. It is a charming, compact garden
full of a variety of beds, borders, walks, groves, lawns and
woodland.
Visit on the 21 November to join the discussions around
Charles Dicken’s most famous novel, A Christmas Carol a
festive tale of redemption and compassion.
Turner’s House, Twickenham
Looking at the blue plaque on the front of Sandycombe Lodge
you can imagine Turner living there – it was his retreat from
the London art world. The architecture of this little building is
quirky, reflecting Turner’s own designs but also the influence
of his good friend, John Soane. Turner made many sketches
before finally arriving at his final design, and these are now
brought together in single facsimile sketchbook.
44 GreatWestWay.co.uk