From the Visitors’ Guide To Wiltshire, circa 1973:
Stourhead Estate was given to the National Trust in 1946 by Sir Henry Hoare. It consists chiefly of Stourhead House built in 1722, which stands in the unique and famous 18th century Pleasure Gardens created by Henry Hoare, the banker.
The pleasure grounds with their lakes and temples, are among the finest examples of eighteenth-century landscape design. The shores and lower woodlands contain some of the most magnificent specimens of conifers, tulip trees, beeches and rhododendrons in the country, and include many rarities.
There are also two prehistoric encampments and the villages of Stourton and Kilmington.