Longleat UK
Rating: 8,0/10 (1609 votes)  Longleet is another English manor, which was built on the initiative of the Marquis of Bath back in the 1570s. This palace is located in two counties at once: Wiltshire and Somersetshire, or rather, on their border. Robert Smithson became the architect who brought the grandiose idea to life.
In appearance, the castle is rather unassuming, it has neither high towers nor luxurious decor. The roof is straight, the window spans are made wide so that sunlight can enter the premises without obstacles. The peculiarity of this piece of architecture is that it is one of the very first buildings built in Northern Europe in the Renaissance style. However, Longleet was followed by many buildings in the same spirit (for example, Hardwick, Wallaton), and the Renaissance style became an integral part of the English architectural tradition.
Even more attention than the building itself is usually attracted by the backyard park area. But she did not appear here immediately, only in the 18th century. The creator of the green park was a descendant of the Marquis of Bath, Lancelot Brown, who was a very famous and gifted landscape architect of the time.
The estate was owned by the sixth Marquis of Bath at that time. Needing funds to maintain a vast estate, he decided to bring exotic African animals to Longleet's territory and, by settling them here, show them to visitors for money. So, in 1966, the first safari park in England was opened on the estate.
Longlith's trademark has long been an unusual intricate open-air maze, the walls of which are neatly shaped bushes. This idea belongs to the seventh descendant of the Marquis of Bath. The quirky park structure was created by landscape designer Greg Bright. The area of the labyrinth is 6 thousand square meters.
Visitors to the estate have the opportunity to test their ability to navigate in space by trying to go through the maze from start to finish. On the territory of the labyrinth there are 6 wooden bridges, climbing which you can observe the passages from above and plan your further path. At the end of the labyrinth, tourists will find a high observation deck, which offers a beautiful view of the surroundings.We also recommend reading Kedleston Hall in the UK Topic: Longleat UK. |
