Dyrham Park

Royal licence to empark Dyrham granted by Henry VIII to William Denys, Esquire of the Body, 5 June 1511. Attached is a rare perfect example of the Great Seal of Henry VIII. Collection of Dyrham Park, National Trust

The Manor of Dyrham has been recorded since the Domesday Book of 1086, when there were 34 households.[3] The first lord of the manor to be resident may have been William Denys, who was an Esquire of the Body to Henry VIII and later High Sheriff of Gloucestershire. He was granted the licence to empark 500 acres (200 ha) of Dyrham in 1511, although not all of this area was enclosed.[4] This meant that he could enclose the land with a wall or hedgebank and maintain a captive herd of deer within the park, over which he had exclusive hunting rights;[5] the name "Dyrham" derives from the Anglo-Saxon word dirham, an enclosure for deer.[6] The estate was sold to the Wynter family in 1571 and Sir George Wynter was allowed to empark further land in 1620.[5]

Eagle sculpture on the roof of Dyrham Park

In 1689 the estate was acquired through marriage by William Blathwayt, who was Secretary at War to William III. He retained the existing Tudor building and expanded it in stages.[7] The west front of 1692 was commissioned from the Huguenot architect, Samuel Hauduroy,[8] and includes an Italianate double staircase leading from the terrace to the grounds.[9] In 1698 a stable block with space for 26 horses, and servants' quarters above, around a courtyard was added.[7] The east front of 1704 was designed by William Talman, architect of Chatsworth.[8] The construction of the east wing included demolition of the remains of the original Tudor house and the addition of a statue of an eagle on the roof.[7]

Owing to Blathwayt's royal connections, and his influential uncle, Thomas Povey, a member of the Royal African Company who held under Oliver Cromwell a high post in the Office of Plantations,[10] Dyrham became a showcase of Dutch decorative arts.[11][12] The collection includes delftware, paintings and furniture. Eighteenth-century additions include furniture by Gillow and Linnell. The interiors have remained little altered since decorated by Blathwayt. The gardens were designed by George London in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.[5]

Roof repairs viewed from the walkway

The Blathwayt family owned the house until 1956, when the government acquired it, but during the Second World War it was used for child evacuees while rented by Anne, Baroness Islington, the widow of The 1st Baron Islington (1866-1936), a former Governor of New Zealand; Lady Islington redecorated many of the rooms.[13][14] The National Trust acquired it in 1961.[15] In 2015 major renovation work, costing £3.8 million, included replacing the roof. Part of the cost was met from a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £85,000.[15] While the repairs were in progress, visitors could view the house from a rooftop walkway.[16][17]

"Dyrham the Seat of William Blathwait Esq." Engraved by Johannes Kip published 1712 in The Ancient & Present State of Gloucestershire, by Sir Robert Atkyns (d. 1711)

The house is set in 274 acres (111 ha) of gardens and parkland, which was home to a herd of 200 fallow deer[31] until they were culled due to the spread of bovine tuberculosis in 2021.[32] Many of the walls and gatepiers were added in the late 18th century.[33][34][35][36][37] There is statuary in the grounds, including a statue of Neptune by Claude David, about 320 metres (1,050 ft) east of the house.[38] Artificial lakes and cascades of water are also a feature.[39]

The gardens were designed by George London in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.[5] They included a formal Dutch water garden, but most of the features were replaced in the late 18th century with designs by Charles Harcourt Masters.[9] The park is listed Grade II* on the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.[40]

National Trust accessibility bus service at Dyrham Park

The house and gardens are open to the public on certain days, and the grounds are open all year long. A bus takes visitors from the car park down to the house, gardens, tea room and shop. The bus road can be walked down for access to the house or there is an easy walk to the house down grassy slopes. There is no car parking at the house itself. Dogs are not permitted in the park, but there is an exercise area for dogs near the car park. Events within the park include music concerts, open-air theatre productions, guided tours of the house, park and garden, and other attractions.[41][42]

Dyrham Park was one of the houses used as a filming location for the 1993 Merchant Ivory film The Remains of the Day (others included Badminton House and Powderham Castle).[43] The house was used for outdoor and garden scenes in the 1999 BBC mini-series Wives and Daughters.[44] In 2003, it was the filming location for the BBC One series Servants.[45] An aerial view of Dyrham Park was featured in the opening title sequence of the 2008 film Australia.[46]

In September 2010, the BBC filmed scenes for the Doctor Who sixth series episode "Night Terrors" at Dyrham Park.[47][48][49]

Dyrham Park was also used for scenes in The Crimson Field by the BBC in 2014, and Sanditon on ITV in 2019.[50]

The BBC series Poldark filmed scenes at Dyrham Park, as the home of George Warleggan, between 2015 and 2018.[51]

The herd of fallow deer in 2009

• List of National Trust properties in England

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dyrham Park.

• Dyrham Park at the National Trust