Monument record 1156/2/10 - Late C17th Formal Gardens

{2} The main manor of Ecton was purchased by Thomas Catesby in 1574 and the family continued to hold the manor until the late C17th. Though undocumented it was undoubtedly they who first established formal gardens around the Hall.
The gardens at Ecton are first depicted on the map of 1703. They were fairly compact, with a simple formal layout, matching the symmetrical façade of the small country house. It is impossible to establish the exact extent of the gardens at this time from this map. They were bounded on the north by Barton Way, while Church Street, although by then probably devoid of houses, still ran in front of the house. These gardens, like the avenues, were probably laid out by the Catesbys rather than Ralph Freeman, as he had only acquired Ecton in 1699.

{3} To the north-west of the Hall an orchard is still shown in the 1740s.

<1> 1703, Ecton Parish Survey (NRO Map 2115), (unchecked) (Map). SNN22606.

<2> Foard G., 1993, Ecton: Its Lost Village and Landscape Park, p.340+Pl.3+Fig.2b (checked) (Article). SNN54811.

<3> Fuller J., 1740 (circa), Bird's Eye View of Ecton Hall and Gardens (NRO Map 2162), (unchecked) (Plan). SNN46086.

Record last edited

Oct 18 2019 11:33AM