Rievaulx Terrace, North Yorkshire
Rievaulx Terrace
Created in 1758, this is really part of the landscaping of Duncombe Park. The terrace is wide and gently curving, with attractively placed groups of trees and ever-changing views down towards the River Rye, including views of Rievaulx Abbey. At either end of the terrace is a temple, one Ionic in style and the other Doric. The Ionic temple (which was a banqueting house, designed in the style of William Kent) has a deep portico, above a flight of stairs; the room within has a painted ceiling and a white marble fireplace. The Doric temple has a domed ceiling, painted on it is the story of Ganymede. Pevsner has an interesting comment on the total effect: �The whole composition of the terrace is a superlative example of large-scale landscape gardening and of that unquestioning sense of being on top of the world which the rich and the noble in England possessed throughout the Georgian period.
