Picturesque Downton Castle

By the end of the 18th century, formal neatness in landscape architecture had fallen out of fashion; the new word on the lips of those who counted was 'picturesque'. This craving for a more 'laissez faire' type of landscape had been of great benefit to Ross-on-Wye, where the Wye Tour had become the must-do trip for everyone who was anyone. Downton on the Rock was to benefit from Richard Payne Knight, under whose direction Downton Castle was built between 1772 and 1778. If you like regimented rows of trees, twee fountains, manicured lawns, symmetrical paths and so on, then Downton Castle is not for you.

Extensive tree planting would have occurred around the time that the castle was built. Richard Payne Knight knew exactly what sort of landscape he wanted, having travelled extensively, particularly in Italy. He sought a rugged, wild view. It is believed that Payne Knight had been influenced by the landscape paintings of Nicolas Poussin (French), Claude Lorrain (French) and Salvator Rosa (Italian), who had produced their best works in the mid-17th century. Poussin had worked at the Louvre in Paris as painter to the king, whereas Lorrain and Rosa had studied in Naples. None came from privileged backgrounds and all had struggled to gain recognition for their work. For some time after they had established themselves as artists, all three lived as near neighbours in a little street in Rome called Trinità dè Monti. It would be interesting to compare their works with those of the little-known English painter, Thomas Hearne, who painted several views of the Downton Estate. Incidentally, the British landscape painter, John Constable, was born in 1776, when Downton Castle was being built. It is said that, when aged about 20, sight of a particular painting sparked Constable's smouldering ambition to be an artist - the French masterpiece he saw was Hagar and the Angel, by Claude Lorrain.

As for the privately owned Downton Castle's interior, it is wholly classical in style. Some alterations and additions were made in the 1860s. The best view of the castle is to be seen from Castle Bridge.

The Romans built a fort beside the River Teme here, and stayed at Leintwardine until the late 4th century ad. Where an early church is found within a Roman earthwork, the inference is that usage of the site continued when the Romans left, as is the case with Leintwardine. The High Street lies on the line of the Roman Watling Street. Today Leintwardine's population is well below half its late 19th-century figure of nearly 2,000.

While you're there

At 24 Watling Street is Peter Faulkner, a coracle maker. A coracle is a rudimentary, lightweight oval boat, made from interwoven branches of willow and usually hazel, with an animal skin or cotton cloth, coated with pitch, stretched over its base. Coracle, as river craft, are believed to pre-date the Romans.

Where to eat and drink

There are no refreshments on the way, but you could finish with this convenient sequence - moisten your lips in the Sun Inn, a simple parlour bar, satiate your appetite and replenish your salt levels at the fish and chip shop, close to the village green, and finally wash it down with another drink in the riverside beer garden of the Lion Hotel.

What to look for

At St George's Church, Burrington, are several iron slab tombstones, among which is that of 'Richard Knight, MDCCXLV' (1745). He was the grandfather of Richard Payne Knight, who had purchased the Downton Estate with money earned from his life as one of the Shropshire ironmasters.