Dyrham Park was built in the 17th century by William Blathwayt. It’s one of the earliest examples of how a fortune made from empire was invested in a landed estate, transforming Dyrham into one of the most notable stately homes of its era.
Although there were many smaller houses previously on the site dating back to at least the 1500s the current building was mostly the work of William. William III Blathwayt (1719-87) inherited Dyrham as a young man, he got into severe financial difficulties and in 1765 auctioned paintings to raise funds. It seems his younger brother purchased a number of these paintings and subsequently returned to the house!
The house went down the family line for many more generations before ending up with the national trust in 1961.
The gardens also suffered, writer Samuel Rudder remarking in 1779 those ‘which were made at great expense, are much neglected and going to decay’.