Stone Monument In King'S Wood Warren At Ngr St 7565 3695

280/3/48 29-AUG-1984

BREWHAM STONE MONUMENT IN KING'S WOOD WARREN AT NGR ST 7565 3695

II

Monument. 1847. Local stone with red brick. PLAN:In the form of a small grotto at the source of the River Brue. EXTERIOR: a rustic stone surround with a keystoned arch. To the right of the keystone are the incised initials and date HRH 1847. Two of the keystones of the sub-arch are missing and the monument is overgrown (November 1983). INTERIOR: has a brick-lined chamber enclosing the spring. HISTORY: Erected by Hugh Richard Hoare of Stourhead, Wiltshire to mark the source of the River Brue. He lived at Stourhead from 1845 and undertook several improvements and construction projects around the estate until his death in 1857. Other buildings on the estate also bear the initials H.R.H. SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE: The grotto in King's Wood Warren, built in the mid-C19, is a substantially intact and indicative feature of Victorian landscape design. It is located adjacent to the extensive and complex landscape garden and park of Stourhead in Wiltshire, a Grade I Registered Park and Garden. As a monument, erected by Hugh Richard Hoare, the grotto clearly has close historical associations with Stourhead which was largely developed during the C18 and C19 by the Hoare family. SOURCES: W Phillips, History of Somerset, Volume I Stourhead, Parks and Garden Register Entry, No. 1440