CONSULT the genius of the place’— I’ve been quoting Alexander Pope since my first encounters with the National Trust in the early 1980s. They have long guided the Trust’s commitment to finding, celebrating and sustaining the special qualities of each place in its care and, when I was director-general, I used to love the conversations we had about what it meant, wherever we were. Imagine my delight, then, when we moved to Cirencester in 2002, to discover Pope’s Seat in Cirencester Park, near the house we rented on Cecily Hill.
Here, it’s said, Pope sat to survey the vistas in Cirencester Park he’d helped inspire, working with the 1st Earl Bathurst in the early 18th century. The park is a remarkable designed landscape, with long, tree-lined rides, occasionally broken by radiant ‘wheels’ giving views into the surrounding countryside, and interspersed with monuments.
This story is from the June 03, 2020 edition of Country Life UK.
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This story is from the June 03, 2020 edition of Country Life UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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