Monument record 2929/2/5 - Possible Post Medieval Formal Garden, Cottesbrooke Hall

Garden earthworks situated to the north of Cottesbrooke Hall. These are the remains of a formal garden layout dating to 1702-1712, and abandoned between 1770-1780 when the current park was landscaped. Earthworks comprise a shrunken rectangular area running northwest from the house,a low sinuous bank which partly blocks an earlier hollow way, and a circular mound 4 metres high.

{1} SP 709741 Garden remains of a form suggesting that they are those laid out by Sir John Langham between 1702-1712 and abandoned circa 1770-1780 when new park created. Earthworks consist of a shrunken rectangular area running northwest from the house,a low sinuous bank which partly blocks an earlier hollow way, and a circular mound 4 metres high [RCHM plan].

{?} Garden remains date from early 18th century and contemporary with house (1702-12). Later in 18th century emparked landscape, original gardens were abandoned.

{3} Earthworks suggest the possibility that when first built there were formal gardens to the north of the Hall, with a slightly sunken 120m long parterre court. Off the centre of this and up the centre of the axial avenue runs a 170m long and 20m wide straight allee or walk, slightly sunken, at the north end of which is Ladies’ Pool. Some 50m to the east is a large, tree-covered conical mound, possibly derived from spoil excavated to form the pool. These gardens, if this is what the earthworks represent – were presumably put down to grass c 1780 when the park was modernised. Correspondence of 1823 notes ‘Cottesbrooke much improved by Wood the gardener who seems to know his business’ (Langham corresp; quote supplied by J Burt). To what this refers is unknown.

{4} At Cottesbrooke the landscaped park of about 1770 preserved, largely intact, the formal terraced garden laid out between 1702 and 1712 to the north-west of the contemporary house. Fig.6.

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1981, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.57/Site 6 (checked) (Series). SNN77381.

<2> Pevsner N.; Cherry B., 1973, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p.160+161 (unchecked) (Series). SNN1320.

<3> English Heritage, 1994, Register of Parks & Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England (1994, Northamptonshire), (part checked) (Report). SNN1324.

<4> Taylor C., 1983, The Archaeology of Gardens, p.17 (checked) (Series). SNN41440.

<5> RCHME, Undated, RCHME Inventory: Northamptonshire II (Central), 890799 (Archive). SNN112900.

Record last edited

Aug 25 2023 2:05PM