S t o u r h e a d

T h e   G r o t t o

The enchanting Grotto, commissioned by Henry Hoare and built by Henry Flitcroft, was constructed in 1748. It is a large domed rocky chamber with anterooms lined with flint, pebbles and tufa. There are no shells here. The stones, some possibly volcanic, were brought over to England from Italy. The entrance to the first chamber is at the lakeside via a rocky arch, its pediment being inscribed:

'Intus aquae dulces, vivoque sedilia saxo Nympharum domus.' Taken from 'The Aeneid' by Virgil.

Loosely translated into english it could be read as, 'within this delightful rocky building resides a divine female water spirit'.

The roman word Nymphaeum can be defined as a shrine dedicated to the nymphs, and composed of fountains.

The tunnel leads into a flinted room and on to the main chamber. The floor is of pebbles arranged in circles and of many colours. Beneath another arch, there is a white painted lead statue of Ariadne, a sleeping nymph on a marble plinth. The fresh water from the River Stour cascades over her mossy bed into a shallow pool and is then conveyed out into the lake via a stone conduit.

At the front of the pool on a basin is inscribed a verse translated by Alexander Pope of the latin written by Cardinal Bembo. 'Nymph of the grot, these sacred springs I keep, and to the murmur of these waters sleep. Ah, spare my slumbers, gently tread the cave, and drink in silence or in silence lave'.

Or in latin as, 'Hujus Nympha loci, sacri custodia fontis

Dormio, dum placidae sentio murmur aquae:

Parce precor, quisquis tangis cava marmora, somnum

Rumpere, sive bibas, sive lavere, tace.'

Daylight comes through a low arch opposite the Nymph. It is dim and magically filtered in shades of green from the water of the lake outside. It is possible though uncomfortable, to sit for a short while here and admire the view of the lake and of the main chamber, as there are 4 bumpy stone seats set into the walls. It would seem this beautiful grotto certainly was not intended for visitors to engage in conversation but merely to contemplate. A calm, melancholy place one could escape to in the heat of a summer's day.

Through a further tunnel adjoining the main chamber, is a smaller, wilder cave dimly lit from daylight through a tiny hole in the ceiling above. It contains another lead statue. A magnificent river god sitting on an urn waterfall who points out the way ahead. Perhaps he is in command of the source of the river Stour and the nymphs..

Stourhead Grotto's Nymph and River God statues were both created for Flitcroft by John Cheere (1709-1787), a famous lead maker of the period. The two grotto statues at Stourhead are noted to be two of his greatest works. Lead was commonly used as a media for statues, urns and the like, as it was of a very durable nature and very strong, and could be painted or even gilded.

A Visit to the grotto enlightens the senses. The overwhelming smells of the rocky walls, its filtered lighting, the soft trickle of the water and the statues within it, are in complete contrast to the rest of the gardens. Nothing here is smooth, it is all rugged.

Most notably, unlike other earth based or shell grotto's, it brings about no sense of fear or feelings of claustrophobia. It has a pagan feel about it.

 

             

Reproduction of part or all of the contents of any of these pages is prohibited except to the extent permitted below.
These pages may be downloaded onto a hard disk or printed for your personal use without alterations. Any other use needs consent of the web site owner Mr C Curtis :- see Contact Page. These pages may not be included in any other work or publication, or be distributed or copied for any commercial purpose except as stated above.