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The Great Britain Guide

Gardens · South East England

Houghton Lodge

Houghton Lodge — country house in Houghton, Hampshire, England, UK.

Houghton Lodge, gardens in Hampshire

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
1 h–2.5 h
Best time of year
Spring & summer (Apr–Sep)
Nearest railway station
Mottisfont & Dunbridge · 7.4 km
  • Dog-friendly

About

Houghton Lodge is a public garden in the United Kingdom. Heritage designation: Grade II* listed building. Wikidata describes it as: "country house in Houghton, Hampshire, England, UK". Coordinates: 51.0964°, -1.5101°.

Photo gallery

Official information

England’s best surviving example of a Cottage Orné and the jewel of the Test Valley

Read more on the official property page.

Protected designations

  • Site of Special Scientific Interest: River Test SSSI

Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

Houghton Lodge is a Grade II* listed house on the River Test in Hampshire, England which was built in the 1790s, probably intended as a fishing lodge. The architect is more than likely John Plaw, a disciple of John Nash for the Barnard family. Houghton Lodge is England's finest surviving example of a Cottage Ornée.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

Description

The architecture of Houghton Lodge marks a period of informality in English architecture which begin in the 1770s and lasted until the 1830s. The antecedents of Houghton's style of architecture, known as cottage ornée, can be traced to the 'Strawberry Hill Gothic' style made popular by Horace Walpole at his fantasy castle at Strawberry Hill in the final quarter of the eighteenth century and further popularised by the writings of James Malton in his 1802 Essay on British Cottage Architecture. During this period it became fashionable for the upper classes to enjoy country life due to the improvements in roads which made a visit to the country easier than it had been, allowing for shorter…

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
51.0964, -1.5101
County
Hampshire
District
Test Valley
Parish
Houghton
Postcode
SO20 6LQ
Parliamentary constituency
Romsey and Southampton North
Nearest railway station
Mottisfont & Dunbridge7.4 km
Official site
houghtonlodge.co.uk

Sources

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Nearby

More gardens in this region

Frequently asked questions

Where is Houghton Lodge?
Houghton Lodge is in Hampshire, South-East England, United Kingdom (postcode SO20 6LQ), in the parish of Houghton.
Is Houghton Lodge a listed building?
Houghton Lodge is officially recognised as Grade II* listed building listed.
Is Houghton Lodge a protected site?
Yes — Houghton Lodge is part of the River Test SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest.
How do I get to Houghton Lodge?
The nearest railway station is Mottisfont & Dunbridge, about 7.4 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode SO20 6LQ.