Longleat is an English stately home and the seat of the Marquesses of Bath. Built in the 16th century by Sir John Thynne and was designed by Robert Smythson, it is a leading and early example of the Elizabethan prodigy house. The house is set in 1,000 acres (400 ha) of parkland landscaped by Capability Brown, with 4,000 acres (1,600 ha) of let farmland and 4,000 acres (1,600 ha) of woodland, which includes a Center Parcs holiday village. It was the first stately home to open to the public, and also claims the first safari park outside Africa.Photograph: W. Lloyd MacKenzie