Turner's Journeys of the Imagination

• Exhibition introduction
• The rise of domestic tourism
• The picturesque landscape
• Palaces, Cathedrals and country houses
• The seaside and the coast
• The natural sublime
• Other links

This exhibition was held at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool in 2002.

Palaces, Cathedrals and country houses

Hafod c.1799, watercolour, Lady Lever Art Gallery

Turner, like other travellers, visited palaces, cathedrals and castles, which were celebrated for their historical and antiquarian interest. The Kings of Scotland had used Linlithgow Palace, on the south shore of Linlithgow Loch, as a court between 1440 and 1603. Turner painted the palace in 1806.

Britain's country houses, such as Hafod in Cardiganshire, also featured on the itineraries of genteel tourists. They were renowned not only for their exterior architecture and landscaped grounds but also for their interior decoration and often-extensive picture collections.