Stourhead: My Pride and Prejudice Moment

I am woefully behind in my blogging.  In my defense, I have been gallivanting quite a bit taking advantage of the pretty days and my limited time left to see the British sights.  Two Saturdays ago, we headed to Stourhead.  It was amazing - 264 acres whose sole purpose is to look pretty.  Every curve in the path revealed a new view.  I think my friends may have gotten a bit annoyed as I would take a step and see a new perspective that I wanted to capture on film.  Here are a few photographs that I weeded out to show you around.

The Walled Garden - it was very Secret Garden like.  History lesson for the day:  walled gardens typically contained vegetables and fruit trees.  They were walled in to help contain the heat in cooler climates.

The Stourhead Mansion.  I liked this house because the inside was very opulent without being overly ostentacious.  I could definitely see myself living here.  Well, maybe not - I would hate to have to clean the place.

Who knows what this is?

I'll give you a hint, it is actually what made me want to visit.

Pretty view.

Replica of the Pantheon.  I believe they said it was a 1/5 scale.  From this picture you would almost think it was late fall with the leaves all gone.  It's spring.

The Palladian Bridge.  Anyone guessed why I came here yet?

A close-up view of the Temple of Apollo.

I suppose I should take pity on you if you don't know the significance of this place yet.  The purist Pride and Prejudice reader/viewer may protest the reference, but this garden was the setting of the scene in the 2005 film in which Mr. Darcy proposes the first time, in the rain, and gets soundly rejected.  I just thought it was a pretty place, so I was glad to get a visit in.

Another view of the bridge.  Elizabeth Bennet ran across it during the film.  It is definitely picturesque.

The Gothic Cottage.  I don't think I could have lived as a family in a one room cottage about the size of my bedroom growing up, even if it was as cute as this one.

One of many scenic views.  This picture is prettier when it's bigger.

St. Peter's Church nestled into the vale.  I don't think people consider aesthetics when building like they used to.

Another view.  With the sun popping our for a moment you can tell it's spring!