Monument record 4770/0/10 - The Great Avenue

Tree avenue in Easton Neston Park. It was laid out in 1758 with the the western arm directed towards Greens Norton Church, and the eastern towards a hilltop, on which an eyecatcher may have originally been located. RCHME field staff surveyed the avenue in 1994. It was found to survive for a distance of 1.4 km to the west of the Easton Neston House and 2.3 km to the east.

{1} A section of avenue is also preserved within the field which had previously linked Easton Neston House to Watling Street, the remaining section measuring 190m long and 6-8m long widening to 10m at its eastern end. The western end of the avenue had been intersected at 30m by a cutting. The cutting appeared to have been caused by the erosion of the two adjacent plough ridges. At the lower eastern end the avenue crosses Tiffield Brook as an embankment measuring 70m long and up to 25m long constructed over a brick culvert.

{2} The avenue is a raised earthwork up to 2m high formerly flanked by a double line of trees. It was part of a great avenue running both east and west from Easton neston House, extending for nearly 4km in total, and is probably contemporary with the 17th-18th century house.

{3} Trenches cut across former avenue and causeway running WNW from Easton Neston House. The causeway was considerably higher than the adjacent ground level, but no buried soil recognised in section. There was a broad shallow ditch on either side of causeway - approx 4m wide and 60cm deep and filled with silty soil.

{6} A site visit identified that the 18th century avenue has survived as a substantial earthwork.

{7, 8} (SP 7019 4925 - SP 6875 4955) In March 1994, RCHME's Cambridge office recorded a section of a vista formed by a tree avenue which extends westwards from Easton Neston House. The feature extends beyond the boundary of the landscape park, which developed from a medieval deer park, probably at the time of the construction of the present Easton Neston House, c.1690.

Remains of the Great Avenue extend 1.4km to the west of the house and 2.3 km to the east. It was laid out in 1758 by Fairfax (7a), the western arm directed towards Greens Norton Church, and the eastern towards a hilltop, on which an eyecatcher may have originally been located. The Avenue is best seen on the 1891 OS 6" map (7b).

For further details, see RCHME Level 3 client report and plan at 1:2500 scale, held in archive.

<1> Zeepvat R.J., 1999, South Northants District Council Depot Tove Valley Industrial Estate, Towcester, Northants: Archaeol, (checked) (Report). SNN100011.

<2> Kenney J.; Oswald A., 1993-4, Medieval Field Systems at Easton Neston, p.180 (checked) (Note). SNN104121.

<3> JACKSON D.A., 1996, SMR REPORT FORM, (unchecked) (Notes). SNN49579.

<4> STEADMAN S.; DIX B., 1990, Archaeological Evaluation at Towcester, Northants, p.5 (unchecked) (Report). SNN63142.

<5> 1991, SMR REPORT FORM, (unchecked) (Uncertain). SNN48963.

<6> Pozorski, Z., 2009, Tesco Stores Ltd, Old Tiffield Road, Towcester, Northamptonshire: An archaeological evaluation, p.11 (checked) (Report). SNN108052.

<7b> Ordnance Survey Map (Scale/date), OS 1891 County Series 6" map Northants LVI.6 (Map). SNN112944.

<7a> 1758, A Catalogue of the Curious Collection of Pictures of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, Northants. NRO X1082 vi (Report). SNN114414.

<7> Kenney J.; Oswald A., 1993-4, Medieval Field Systems at Easton Neston (Note). SNN104121.

<8> Kenney J.; Oswald A., 1994, RCHME: Easton Neston Survey, p.180 (checked) (Report). SNN114416.

Record last edited

Nov 28 2022 3:32PM