Monument record 3320/3/10 - C19th Kitchen Garden

Kitchen garden. 1868. By E.W. Godwin. Coursed squared limestone. Large rectangular enclosure with apse and apsidal-ended arm on principal axis. In Italian medieval style.

{1} Trial excavation in February 1992 by M.Webster.

{3} Kitchen garden. 1868. By E.W. Godwin. Coursed squared limestone. Large rectangular enclosure with apse and apsidal-ended arm on principal axis. In Italian medieval style. Garden lies on principal formal axis of Italian Garden with fine low wrought-iron gates at entrance from Italian Garden flanked by tall buttressed gatepiers topped by seated griffins holding shields with Compton arms. Apse on far side of garden closes formal vista, and is raised above ground level and was formerly laid out for herbs. Enclosure walls have tiled coping. (Castle Ashby Park and Gardens are included in HBMC Register of parks and gardens for Northamptonshire at Grade I; Buildings of England: Northamptonshire: 1973, p145; Castle Ashby archives).

{6} The kitchen garden (walls etc listed grade II), c 150m square, lies at the south end of the main, north/south axial path through the Italian Garden. The main garden compartment is surrounded by a 3m tall, coursed limestone wall crested with pantiles. The main entrance is in the centre of the north side, where a deep, apsidal, bastion-like enclosure projects to meet the end of the axial path. The apsidal enclosure contains two limestone ashlar bee shelters (listed grade II), one probably C18, the other c 1870. The interior of the main garden is rough grass. No glass survives. There are secondary compartments to east and west of the lobby.
This garden was constructed c 1868 to a design by E W Godwin, characterised in the Listing description as of the Italian medieval style, in what had earlier been the Upper Warren. The garden replaced those immediately to the north which had been converted to the Italian Garden. The earlier kitchen gardens are apparently shown on the map of 1760, but were worked on in 1761 3 by Lancelot Brown. Extensive works were undertaken therein, in what was called the Greenhouse Garden, after 1788.

{7} Historic development of garden including architectural plans, photos; management plan;

<1> 1992, SMR REPORT FORM, (unchecked) (SMR Report Form). SNN48868.

<2> Dix, B.; Webster, M. & Audouy, M., 1992, Archaeological Evaluation at Castle Ashby Walled Kitchen Garden February 1992, (unchecked) (Report). SNN57093.

<3> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 6/34 (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<4> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), F12 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN45262.

<5> Pevsner N.; Cherry B., 1973, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p.145 (unchecked) (Series). SNN1320.

<6> English Heritage, 1994, Register of Parks & Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England (1994, Northamptonshire), (unchecked) (Report). SNN1324.

<7> Rodney Melville & Partners, 2000, Castle Ashby Conservation Plan: The Kitchen Garden (Report). SNN111168.

<8> Photographs of buildings in Castle Ashby (Photographs). SNN111838.

Record last edited

Feb 25 2025 2:03PM