BATH - PLACES OF INTEREST

Inspired by the entrepreneur and philanthropist Ralph Allen from about 1734 until his death in 1764, this 28 acre (11.3 hectare) 18th century landscape garden lies in a dramatic site running down a small steep valley to the very edge of Bath.

Ralph Allen continually landscaped, planted and gardened at Prior Park with the advice and influence of people like the poet Alexander Pope and Lancelot 'Capability' Brown, who played a key role in the revolution of English garden design.

The mansion at Prior Park was built around 1740 for Ralph Allen and is now owned and used by Prior Park College. When Prior Park Landscape Garden was given to the National Trust in 1993 by the Christian Brothers and Prior Park College it had fallen into serious decay. The National Trust's restoration of the garden, based on historical, archaeological and ecological surveys, is being carried out with great expertise and care for historical detail.