Building record 600/5/3 - Garden Walls Running From South-West Corner of Canons Ashby House to Lion Gates to South, Including Gate & Gatepiers

Garden wall, gate and gatepiers. Early C18

{1} Garden wall, gate and gatepiers. Early C18. Coursed squared ironstone, some limestone dressings. High stone coped wall forming S boundary to Green Court with row of eared stone urns, and consoles where wall meets SW angle of Canons Ashby House and at far end of Green Court where it meets the pier at this corner. Pier has moulded plinth and cornice, plain sides and obelisk supported by 4 stone scrolls. A C16 re-used doorway with 4-centred moulded arch head and carved spandrels gives access from Green Court to garden. From pier at SW angle of Green Court a low stone coped wall runs N to gates of Green Court with timber posts at intervals which have pierced finials and support 2 wrought iron rails. Another high stone coped wall runs S from Green court to gates and gatepiers to park. Gatepiers have moulded plinths and cornices, plain sides and large eared and gadrooned urns. C19 iron gates. From gates to park, a similar wall runs S to a pier at SW angle of garden. Pier has stone armour (renewed) on square moulded base with splayed feet. From this pier a low wall retaining the garden and giving views of the park turns E then NE retaining SE corner of terrace and S down to the Lion gates (q.v.) at the bottom of the orchard. (National Trust Guide: 1981 pp.30-34; Canons Ashby gardens and park are included in the HBMC Register of Gardens at Grade II*).

{3} Undated photo.

{5} In the garden test pit excavated in 2001, the unweathered dressed stone of the garden wall adjacent to the excavation was observed to a depth of 0.8m below the current ground level, while the roughly hewn stone foundation was recorded to a depth of 1.5m. The unweathered stone was abutted by deposit of made ground, overlying a buried ploughsoil, indicating the gardens were not levelled before construction of the terrace and highlighting the possibility for the preservation of archaeological deposits beneath the made ground.

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 19/34 (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), F05 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN44900.

<3> Photographs of buildings in Canons Ashby (Photographs). SNN111842.

<4> Bryant A., 1827, Map of The County of Northampton, (unchecked) (Map). SNN2733.

<5> Bashford, R, 2001, Canons Ashby House, Northamptonshire: Archaeological Watching Brief Report (Report). SNN112432.

<6> CBA South Midlands Group (Group 9), 2002, South Midlands Archaeology: CBA Group 9 Newsletter (32) (Journal). SNN102413.

Record last edited

Jul 23 2024 12:32PM