The Temple of Harmony is an 18th-century

folly In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but suggesting through its appearance some other purpose, or of such extravagant appearance that it transcends the range of usual garden buildings. Eighteenth-cent ...

in the grounds of Halswell House,

Goathurst Goathurst is a small village and civil parish in the English county of Somerset, around 3 miles from the town of Bridgwater. The parish includes the hamlets of Andersfield and Huntstile. The village is on the route of the Samaritans Way South Wes ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Built in 1767, it is a replica of the 1st-century Temple of Fortuna Virilis in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. The Temple stands in Mill Wood, a 17-acre (7 ha) pleasure garden in the grounds of Halswell House, and was built for Sir Charles Kemeys-Tynte in 1767 to designs by Thomas Prowse, with features by

Robert Adam Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him. With his ...

and Thomas Stocking. The Temple was dedicated to the memory of a mutual friend, Peregrine Palmer, formerly MP for Oxford University (d 1762). The Temple has a slate roof and

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedim ...

al end

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

s, and is surrounded with

Ionic columns The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite ...

and

pilaster In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wal ...

s. It is aligned north-west/south-east, with the portico at the south-east end, facing Halswell House which lies some distant. The Somerset Buildings Preservation Trust (SBPT) acquired the Temple in 1993 in a derelict condition, having been used for many years as a cattle shelter. It has now been restored, with grants from

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

and others, and is a Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. Its dimensions at its base are approximately , and it now has the addition of a tie bar, a long retaining bolt that runs through the structure from one side to the other, helping to keep it together. John Walsh's

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

statue in the temple depicting

Terpsichore In Greek mythology, Terpsichore (; grc-gre, Τερψιχόρη, "delight in dancing") is one of the nine Muses and goddess of dance and chorus. She lends her name to the word "terpsichorean" which means "of or relating to dance". Appearance ...

, the Muse of joy in the dance and lyric poetry, was dedicated to the memory of Thomas Prowse after his death in 1767. This was copied in 1999 and the copy is now located here. The original is in the

Museum of Somerset The Museum of Somerset is located in the 12th-century great hall of Taunton Castle, in Taunton in the county of Somerset, England. The museum is run by South West Heritage Trust, an independent charity, and includes objects initially collected ...

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...

. The Temple was owned by the Somerset Building Preservation Trust and managed by the Halswell Park Trust for a number of years. In 2020 it was purchased by Edward Strachan, the owner of Halswell House and the surrounding land known as Mill Wood, thus restoring it to its rightful position in the surrounding parkland. The Temple can be visited on Sunday afternoons during the summer months and at other times by prior arrangement.

Gallery

File:Templofharmony.jpg, South-east facade with portico File:Temple of Harmony, Goathurst, Somerset, UK (southeast facade).jpg, South-east facade with portico File:3 Temple of Harmony NE facade (long side) and NW facade.JPG, North-east facade (long side) and north-west facade with blind window File:4 Temple of Harmony NW facade.JPG, North-west facade File:5 Temple of Harmony NW facade 4.JPG, Detail of north-west facade File:6 Temple of Harmony SW facade (long side) 2.JPG, Detail of south-west facade (long side) File:7 Temple of Harmony SW facade (long side) 4.JPG, Detail of south-west facade (long side) File:8 Temple of Harmony portico 1.JPG, Detail of inside of portico File:9 Temple of Harmony portico 2.JPG, Detail of inside of portico File:View of Halswell House from Temple of Harmony.JPG, View of Halswell House from the Temple

References

{{reflist

External links

The Temple of Harmony from the Somerset Buildings Preservation TrustHalswell
Buildings and structures in Sedgemoor Tourist attractions in Somerset Grade II* listed buildings in Sedgemoor Buildings and structures completed in 1767 Folly buildings in England 1767 establishments in England