£43.50 (Non JG member)
Overview
We begin with time for lunch in Winchester before making the short drive to Houghton Lodge, one of the finest and earliest surviving example of a Cottage Ornée – a genre of ‘picturesque’ Gothic architecture that flourished for about 25 years from 1790. Houghton was thought to be designed in 1793 by John Plaw – one of the pioneers of the style – and was probably intended as a fishing lodge. Houghton Lodge Gardens has been described by recent visitors as ‘the jewel of the Test Valley’, and ‘A Stately Pleasure-Dome on the most romantic river in England’. It has been the home of the Busk family for more than a century, and still is. Some people visit Houghton for its architecture, some for its literary connections and some for its gardens; but everyone leaves with a sense of its ageless tranquillity and special magic. It is little wonder that Country Life readers voted it in such numbers for their search for ‘England’s Favourite Country House’. We finish our afternoon with Tea and Cake