Wildlife, the outdoors and nature are themes often brought into homes inspiring the use of floral wallpaper, upholstery, landscape paintings and the plant-like patterns of decorative ceilings and carvings. In 1891, at a time when houses with Tudor heritage were greatly celebrated, Francis Inigo Thomas designed the gardens of Athelhampton and reversed this trend. He appropriated architectural features from the inside of the house and reflected them outside into the garden. It is clear to see how the trefoil motif of the Great Court’s wooden ceiling inspired his design for the shape of the pond in the Private Garden. This relationship between the interior and exterior of Athelhampton is explored in this painting and heightened through the use of the diamond forms found on many of the stained-glass windows, perhaps the point at which the inside and outside converge.
