Goodnestone Park

History

The Bridges baronets held Goodnestone for generations before the estate passed to their descendants, the Barons FitzWalter, who still own it. Elizabeth Bridges, great-granddaughter of the builder, married Edward Austen in 1791. Her sister-in-law, the novelist Jane Austen, became a frequent guest as a result. Later in the 18th century, Sir Brook Bridges, 3rd Baronet, replaced the original formal gardens with a landscape park, following the prevailing taste of the era.

Architecture

Built in the Palladian style, the house was listed Grade II* in 1952.

Worth knowing

Jane Austen was a regular visitor to Goodnestone once her brother Edward had married into the Bridges family. The 18th-century Serpentine Walk, which follows the route she is believed to have taken through the grounds, was reinstated in 2014.

Gardens & grounds

The fifteen acres of grounds hold formal terraced gardens with a recently planted Millennium parterre, three walled gardens redesigned since 1960, and an arboretum with a lime avenue and mature woodland.