:This article is about the stately home. For the safari park at Longleat, see
Longleat Safari Park
Longleat is a country estate
near Warminster
in Wiltshire
, England
. It is noted for its Elizabethan
country house
, maze
and landscaped parkland
, and for Longleat Safari Park
. The house is set in over 900 acres (3.6 km²) of parkland, landscaped by Capability Brown
, with 8,000 acres (32 km²) of woods and farmland. It was the first stately home to open to the public, and also claims the first safari park
outside Africa
.
The house was built by Sir John Thynne
, and designed mainly by Robert Smythson
, after the original priory
was destroyed by fire in 1567, it took 12 years to complete and is widely regarded as one of the finest examples of Elizabethan architecture in Britain. Longleat is currently occupied by Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath
, a direct descendant.
Longleat Safari Park
is situated in the grounds of the house. The British television show Animal Park
is filmed in the house and in the safari park.
In its name, a leat is an artificial waterway like at a watermill
.
Image:Longleat outbuilding.jpg|Longleat outbuilding.
Image:Longleat Hedge Maze (detail).JPG|Longleat Hedge Maze, detail.
Image:Longleat by Knyff edited.JPG|A drawing of Longleat in the early 18th century by Leonard Knyff
.
Image:Longleat Morris.jpg|Longleat in 1880
Longleat Woods
Longleat Woods
({{gbmapping|ST795435}}) is a 249.9
hectare
(617.4 acre)
biological Site of Special Scientific Interest
in
Somerset
,
notified
in 1972.
Trivia
The
Bollywood
film
Mohabbatein
was filmed at Longleat which served as the location for the Gurukul School.
Longleat staged the British round of the Red Bull Air Race
in 2006
.
External links
[
Longleat homepage ]
[
Longleat - garden review ]
{{commonscat}}
<1570s architecture>
<Historic houses in Wiltshire>
<Gardens in Wiltshire>
<Visitor attractions in Wiltshire>
{{UK-struct-stub}}
{{museum-stub}}
Longleat
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