Monument record 3884/2/6 - Croyland Abbey/Manor/Hall Garden

Possibly the site of the medieval gardens associated with the grange. Briefly mentioned by Bridges in 1720. The gardens were landscaped in the 19th century. A zoo park was opened in 1943 and parts of some of the exhibits, such as the penguin pool still survive.

{1} The gently sloping valley side to the south is likely to be the site of the medieval garden, for in c.1720 the gardens of the Hall stood here. In the 19th century the grounds of the Hall were landscaped and terraced lawns laid out to the south of the main house.

{4} The main manor in Wellingborough was granted to Croyland Abbey in Lincolnshire in about 950 AD. The grange, or Croyland Hall as it was known in the post-medieval period, was said to have been built in 1281. Along with the main Hall there were many other buildings, which are thought to have been arranged around a courtyard. These included dovecotes, stables, an oxhouse, granary, malt-house and a chapel. In 1319, mention is made of a garden in which the fruit and herbage was worth 2?- per annum. The Hall and Tithe Barn are thought to represent the southern and western extents of this courtyard area. The property was rented out by the crown after the dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century and was split up in 1616, with one half remaining as Croyland Hall and the other called Croyland Abbey.
In 1720, Bridges mentioned that ‘The gardens lie on a southern descent to a rivulet called Swanspool. In Meere’s Close are certain hollows, supposed to have been ponds fed with the springs which the rising ground abounds with...’. Although this is the first mention of gardens connected with Croyland Hall, it is probable that there were already gardens here in the medieval period. Meere’s Close is thought to be the area to the south and southwest of the Hall (Foard and Ballinger 2000).
On the opposite side of the Swanspool Brook in the 18th century there was a dyeworks, which probably dyed some of the wool produced by the town. It is thought that the dyeworks may have had its origins in medieval times. The location was ideal- there was a constant supply of water for the dumping waste and it was situated on the outskirts of the town, keeping the noxious odours away from the townspeople. Dyeworks during the medieval period were renowned for being malodorous places, mainly because of the odd ingredients they used, including fermented human urine and earwax! It is also thought that an area adjacent to Swanspool Brook was the location for a fulling mill, which was part of the Croyland estate in 1320 (Ibid 2000). A fulling mill would have processed the cloth made from the wool that the monastic estate had produced, by beating the loosely bound cloth fibres into a much denser, close-knit fabric. Before the introduction of ‘water power’ to full the cloth, people had had to pound it by foot.
In the 19th century the grounds of the Hall were landscaped and terraced lawns laid out to the south of the main house. A long rectangular pond which survived just to the south of the Hall in 1803 may have been the remnants of a moat, since Cole claimed that one surrounded it (Foard and Ballinger 2000). However, with little other evidence, it may be as likely that the pond was one of the medieval fishponds.
The origins of the large medieval coffin that can be seen to the north of the gardens are unclear. During development of the area in the 1970s with the construction of the council’s Tithe Barnk Offices a number of graves were discovered, probably connected to the chapel of Croyland Abbey. It is possible that the coffin was recovered during the development.
The Zoo Park was opened in 1943. Established by Mr Stephens, who owned a pet shop in Midland Road, the zoo park was one of the largest private zoos in Britain. It boasted a large variety of exotic animals including polar bears and lions. It was also the home of ‘Charlie the TV Chimp ’who made ‘a spectacular appearance on the Wilfred Pickles Show’, where he was christened (NRO ROP 2991)! The park was finally closed in c1970, although parts of exhibits, such as the penguin pool, are still present.

<1> Foard G, 1999, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Wellingborough (Medieval + Post Medieval), (unchecked) (Digital archive). SNN100339.

<2> 1771, Survey of Wellingborough Hatton manor 1771, (unchecked) (Document). SNN100360.

<3> James, W., 1803, Wellingborough Town 1803, (unchecked) (Map). SNN100362.

<4> Walker C., 2006, Documentary Research for Wellingborough Green Heritage Trail, 2.2 Croyland Abbey Gardens (checked) (Report). SNN108005.

Record last edited

Apr 25 2025 9:29AM