The grotto at the base of the Marlborough Mound was built shortly before 1735 by Frances Hertford, daughter-in-law of the sixth Duke of Somerset. The Marlborough Mound is the second largest neolithic mound in Europe, exceeded only by Silbury Hill 5 miles to the west. It is was started about 4500 years ago. The whole site is situated within Marlborough College, a historic public school.
Lady Hertford had the grotto built shortly before 1735 and felt that the grotto was ‘much prettier than that at Twickenham’ built by Alexander Pope. She was clearly aware of the latest fashions in garden design and created a picturesque garden with complex flowerbeds, a canal and a cascade.
The grotto is of considerable art historical importance and it is a relatively early example of this form of garden ornamentation. Such features were designed to stimulate imagination, and with the Mound being the place where Merlin was supposed to be buried, there was much to fuel the speculations of those who visited. The project helped to relieve the monotony of the life that Lady Hertford experienced in Marlborough, where to begin with she felt starved of stimulating company.
The grotto was restored, after a long period of neglect, in 1985 and again in 2016.
Further Information: Marlborough College