Photo: Painshill Park by Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
About this place
Painshill Park is an 18th-century landscape garden of approximately 158 acres near Cobham in Surrey.
Charles Hamilton laid it out between 1738 and 1773, filling it with follies and plantings arranged like scenes from a landscape painting.
The Crystal Grotto, lined with quartz and Blue John, is the largest of its kind in England.
Painshill Park Trust manages the site, and it is covered by Historic Houses membership.
Read more on WikipediaHistory
Charles Hamilton created Painshill from heathland and woodland between 1738 and 1773, borrowing heavily to fund the work before debts forced him to sell the estate. It changed hands among private owners for nearly two centuries afterwards, and during the Second World War the grounds were requisitioned for military use.
Architecture
Several of the follies, including the Gothic Tower and the Gothic Temple, are listed structures in their own right. The Grotto's artificial rockwork was built to mimic natural crystalline formations using quartz, feldspar and Blue John.
Worth knowing
Horace Walpole visited in 1748 and praised Hamilton's achievement.
Gardens & grounds
The landscape is arranged as a sequence of scenes inspired by 17th-century landscape painting, ranging from the dark plantings around the Mausoleum to the brighter colours near the Temple of Bacchus.
Plan your visit
Nearest station: Cobham & Stoke d'Abernon Rail Station (2.2 miles)
Check the official website for current opening times and seasonal variations.
Nearby properties
Claremont Landscape Garden
View Claremont Landscape Garden on heritage mapWest Horsley Place
View West Horsley Place on heritage mapHatchlands Park
View Hatchlands Park on heritage mapPolesden Lacey
View Polesden Lacey on heritage mapClandon Park
View Clandon Park on heritage mapHistoric places nearby
Within 5 miles of Painshill Park there are 2 historic properties, including 1 garden and 1 historic house, across Historic Houses and National Trust sites.
Within 10 miles of Painshill Park there are 15 historic properties, including 7 historic buildings, 3 historic houses and 2 churchs, across National Trust, Historic Houses and Churches Conservation Trust sites.
Within 20 miles of Painshill Park there are 71 historic properties, including 35 historic buildings, 18 historic houses and 5 palaces, across National Trust, Historic Houses and English Heritage sites.
Facts
A Georgian landscape designed like a series of paintings, built by one man who went bankrupt doing it.
- Type
- historic house
- Location
- Surrey, England
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