Gothic Cottage — Attraction in Batcombe

Built somewhere around the mid 18th Century as a "Watch Cottage" or hut for the estate staff, although the 1841 census states that it was actually lived in by two servants, and in 1851 by two elderly females described as "almswomen". In the early 19th Century it was the fashion to "pretty up" basic buildings, and the porch and Gothic style windows were installed, the area of dense trees around it was cleared and landscaped and the cottage became a feature of the garden. Following renovation in the early 1900s it became a summer house and was used by Lady Alda Hoare as a favourite place to write her letters. But post WW2 it was used as a place where estate gardeners could brew up some tea and warm themselves in front of the fire. By 2004 the cottage was in a state of collapse with rotten roof timbers and cracked walls due to subsidence. It was restored over the next four years and is now once again a pretty feature of the Stourhead estate. The Gothic seat and porch were added by Richard Colt Hoare in 1806. Gothic features were popular additions to functional buildings during...

A sweet little sight located nearby the Stourhead Grotto’s, the Gothic Cottage is a lovely place to relax and enjoy the sights of Stourhead. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to go inside the cottage due to unknown reasons (perhaps closing time?) but it was still worth the time to see...

This charming little cottage is part of the Stourhead grounds. It is close to the Grotto and together they add some character to the Stourhead grounds walking experience.

The view of the lake from the Cottage is also stunning.

P.S: the ticket to the grounds...