Becks joins the immortals
Footballer David Beckham took his place among the immortals today in a National Trust display dedicated to gods and heroes.
A larger than life-size painting of the England captain was unveiled in the Pantheon, a classical building at the Stourhead, Wiltshire, one of the country's finest landscaped gardens and owned by the National Trust.
The portrait of Beckham, known to his wife Victoria as "Goldenballs", stands next to a rather disapproving-looking sculpture of Hercules.
The installation is part of a month of events and temporary displays at Stourhead to recreate how the gardens looked more than 200 years ago when they were designed by the landscape gardener Henry Hoare II.
The painting of Manchester United star Beckham by artist Barry Novis, in full England kit with arms raised in triumph, stands among such figures as Hercules, Bacchus, Isis and Diana.
Stourhead's gardener Richard Higgs said: "The garden in the 18th century echoed with references to heroes and gods of the ancient world, a philosophy we have brought to the 21st century by placing a modern-day hero alongside these classical models."
Stourhead spokeswoman Kathryn Boyd said: "In the 18th century, these figures were a very important part of the symbolism of the arts and the English classical movement. But today, we don't relate as much to them, and Beckham was chosen as a more relevant character, a dramatic analogy, a modern hero - and also as a bit of fun."
The garden was originally shown to the world as the ultimate model for taste in garden design 200 years ago and includes dedications to the gods and heroes such as King Alfred.
Period paintings, photographs and first-hand accounts have been used to help reconstruct two-dimensional models and murals of original buildings which have now disappeared from the garden.
Mr Higgs said some of them, such as the recreation of a 2D classical temple, complete with Grecian urn, have fooled visitors to the garden.
"They have had to walk right up to it to see if it was real," he said.
The National Trust has also reintroduced features such as a Turkish tent, which has a stunning view across the lake.Costumed character actors will greet visitors, who can also take skiff rides across the lake and carriage rides through July and August.
The National Trust's Stourhead Revisited project will run for a month and has been sponsored by local companies. But it said it was open to the idea of installing the features in permanent, three-dimensional form, should funding become available.
