Hotels near Marble Hill House

The waterside Palladian villa, Marble Hill House, was built for Henrietta Howard, the mistress of King George II when he was Prince of Wales. Set between Richmond and Hampton Court, and now owned by English Heritage, it is surrounded by 66 acres of parkland and is a stunning example of Andrea Palladio's work, his weakness for classical Roman architecture is evident in the elegant columns and symmetric proportions. Built between 1724 and 1729, the house was fashioned by Howard into a soothing, cerebral retreat from the hustle and bustle of 18th-century London life. Attracting literary wits and scholars, the house soon acquired a reputation for sophistication and new-thinking. The well-preserved interior - planned around the Great Room, whose grand ceiling rises through the upper two storeys of the house - now boasts notable collections of Georgian furniture and architectural paintings by Panini, while the grounds provide a soothing backdrop for summer concerts.