Garendon Park, The Temple Of Venus

The Temple of Venus, located in Garendon Park, was built in the 1730s by Ambrose Phillipps of Garendon, who died in 1737. This temple is constructed of ashlar and features a carved oak entablature topped with a copper dome. It has a circular plan that is loosely inspired by the Temple of Vesta in Tivoli. The structure is raised on four steps and is surrounded by a peristyle of Ionic columns. The entablature is painted white and includes a frieze decorated with ox skulls and small bays adorned with swags. The cornice features lions' heads at intervals. Inside, the temple has a circular room with rusticated walls, a classical doorcase, and a two-fold fielded-panel door. Originally, the interior housed a statue of Venus, which is now lost, possibly destroyed by Luddite rioters in 1811.