Wilton House, Wilton, Wiltshire
Wilton House was built on the site of a Benedictine nunnery and abbey allegedly founded in 830. It was one of the main nunneries of England for much of its existence. It was rebuilt in stone with a gift from Edith, wife of the Confessor. Many of the buildings, except the Almonry, were demolished after it was dissolved in 1539, before the construction of Wilton House. The house is a courtyard house in landscaped grounds. The nunnery was rebuilt by the 1st Earl of Pembroke after 1544 and largely finished by 1563. The Holbein porch and the centrepiece of the east front still survive from this period. The south wing was remodelled by Solomon de Caux in the early 17th century. It was then rebuilt, after a fire in1647, by John Webb with Inigo Jones supervising the internal arrangements. In 1801 is was ‘Gothicised’ by James Wyatt, who built the cloister in the courtyard and remodelled the north and west fronts. These Gothic alterations were then removed in the early 20th century.
