The soul of a place takes birth when the inhabitants start connecting with it and develop a relationship with the place. With time this bond gets stronger and stronger and a sort of harmony gets established with the very existence of the place. The ‘habitus’ that develops around is instilled in the vibrations that the place emanates and this can be felt by the visitor. Stourhead is one such place with varied history connected with all its buildings and land features. Anyone moving around can connect with the story behind its different landscapes and get a taste of the very rich culture that it has nurtured through the ages. There’s beauty not just in the finest of its gardens but also in the calm of the temple. The view of the lake with its clear waters and the reflection of the birds flying above it enthralls one to the core and makes one feel so lost in the magnificence of nature that the very existence of us humans as just another specie becomes truly insignificant, and one commences to realize the presence of a greater power somewhere. But this is just like a pregnant pause before one, moving further, gets the view of the temple of Apollo. This view gives a feeling of completion. The garden and the Palladian bridge is a fine example of the Italian style of landscaping. Overlooking the garden are the monumental structures of King Alfred’s Tower and the Bristol High Cross. These two structures impose a strong sense of strength and singularity within the softer landscapes and cooling effect of the beautiful colors of the greenery around. This shows a stark variance within a single view and takes away ones focus from the calm landscapes to the imposing features of the structures. The Bristol High Cross has been moved from Bristol to entrance of the Stourhead garden in 1765, when it reclaimed its importance and rewrote the history of the development of the full landscape of Stourhead. It exhibits the true nature of the European culture of the 16th century. The admiration that was received by the intricacies in art and architecture and the details in the textile designing can be seen in it. It shows how significant the emphasis on aesthetics was during the era. The elaborate detailing and the sleek structuring, gels with the idea that, nature imparts upon us, the beauty of small things within the huge expanse of it. The process of piece by piece development and unification of Stourhead makes it very rich in its architecture. The Palladian mansion, the manor house though was brought down and built again, a lot of elements, articles and heirlooms were saved and it was built with the idea that it shall have the exact image of the past. The Grecian style of architecture can be seen with its distinctly featured fenestrations in the building. The proportions of the buildings, that hold high importance in this style of architecture, make it inviting and overwhelm the visitor. The unique sculptures in the pantheon are the exact replicas of the originals giving the insides a sense of grandeur in its true definition. Visiting Stourhead estate brings with it a feeling of time travel and each one relives the past in his/her own unique way. The union of all the different elements shows integrity and solidity of the landscape as a whole.
Works cited
Paulson, Ronald. Emblem of Expression.
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/stourhead/
http://www.learner.org/courses/globalart/work/275/index.html
