An Italianate country house in the Chilterns
West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
West Wycombe Park is 45 acres of landscaped park in the Chilterns countryside and home to the Dashwood family for over 300 years.
This impressive park and village include delights such as churches, a mausoleum, caves and a variety of shops and stores. The gardens themselves are perfectly preserved rococo landscape gardens, complete with architecture from Greece and Italy.
The gardens have changed over the years with several architects bought in over the years to advise on their design. Today, the park still contains the man-made lake (in the shape of a swan), temples and follies including the Temple of Music which was inspired by the Temple of Vesta in Rome.
Also on site are the Hell-Fire caves, originally excavated by Sir Francis Dashwood in the 1740s and used for meetings by the notorious Hell-Fire Club, whose members included Lord Sandwich and John Wilkes. American president Benjamin Franklin was also a visitor to the caves.
Content provided by Visit Buckinghamshire
For more local tourist information:
- High Wycombe Tourist Information Centre
- Email Address tourism_enquiries@wycombe.gov.uk
- Contact Details 01494 421892