Monument record 600/5/13 - Formal Gardens

Formal terraced gardens and landscape park to Canons Ashby House, created by Edward and Erasmus Dryden circa 1710. The gardens are in the style of George London and Henry Wise and may have contained work by John Van Nost II. The gardens extend southwest from the house and comprise a series of four levelled rectangular terraces, separated by scarps linked along a central linear path. The two upper terraces were originally laid out as gravel parterres and the lower two were planted with vegetables and fruit. Adjacent to the north west of the upper terraces is another levelled area, now a lawn, which was formerly divided into two parts corresponding to the upper terraces and is believed to have been occupied by a bowling green and two small ponds. The whole L-shaped area is bounded by a stone wall. Earthworks to the south of the church may represent a monastic garden or remains of an earlier house The grounds were surveyed by RCHME field staff in 1992.

{1} The gate piers of the C18th garden area decorated with carved demi-lions holding spheres and the crest of the Drydens plus large urns, suits of armour and pinnacles.

{3} Illustration of the garden, traditional English style.

{4} Restored by The National Trust.

{5} The gardens were laid out between 1708 and 1710 by Edward Dryden in an outdated style. They are now part overgrown. A long rectangular area extends downslope soouth-west of the house, and is bounded by high walls. It comprises four scarped terraces between 1m and 2m high. There is a long axial path running down the centre. The upper two terraces were originally gravelled parterres. The lower two were for fruit and vegetables. A walled area to the north-east was in two parts, one a bowling green, the other with two small ponds. The Green Court to the north-west of the house had clipped yews.

{7} There are several fine sets of gatepiers both Jacobean and Queen Anne. In the garden a fine lead statue of a shepard boy, is the only survivor of several lead figures made for Edward Dryden by John Nost c1700.

{14} For further details, see RCHME Level 3 client report and plan at 1:2500 scale, held in archive.At the house or southeast end of the eastern and central avenues a defined scarp falls towards the house marking the edge of a level area in front of the formal gardens. As this area is entered by an imposing gateway from the Preston Capes road it may be a lost element of the formal gardens. A low earthen bank lies across the northwest end of the eastern and central avenues, running between Park Cottage (SP 57555075) and the Preston Capes road. The function of the bank is unclear, it could mark a boundary associated with the cottage.Ridge-and-furrow extends westwards from the western avenue to the ponds in the valley below (see SP 55 SE 15 and 1).

A sharply defined rectangular platform is located between the central and western avenues. Two broken iron posts at its south and east corners appear to be the remains of a fence enclosure for the former tennis court.

{15} In December 1992, RCHME's Cambridge Office carried out an analytical earthwork survey of garden remains in the area north-west of Canons Ashby House, following a request from the National Trust.(2) The remains comprise a former triple avenue of trees, crossing a landscaped park between a prominent mound (SP 55 SE 14) and the formal gardens. The view north-westwards from the house was formerly framed by a triple avenue of trees, the outer two angling gently and symmetrically away from Canons Ashby House (SP 55 SE 18). The eastern avenue ran for some 80 metres alongside the Preston Capes road and is defined by a broad earthen bank 0.6 metres high and 8 metres wide. The central avenue is not marked by an earthwork but young saplings have been planted on the earlier alignment, marked by tree mounds and decaying stumps. The third, westernmost avenue leads north-westwards from the walled garden of the house and forms a terrace 8 metres wide between a low scarp on the northeast and the headland of the adjoining fields on the southwest. At the northwest end of this avenue the ground falls away to a natural hollow and the terrace begins to take on the appearance of a hollow-way, shortly afterwards the line is lost. On the eastern side at this end a small square platform is the site of a former building, shown on OS maps of 1884 and 1900. Inigo Triggs' garden plan of 1901 describes the existence of an avenue of lime trees at this point.

{16/17} Walled formal gardens set in Medieval parkland at Canons Ashby House. The gardens extend southwest from the house and comprise a series of four levelled rectangular terraces, separated by scarps linked along a central linear path. The gardens were created in 1708-10 by Tilleman Bobart and Henry Wise for Edward Dryden. The two upper terraces were originally laid out as gravel parterres and the lower two were planted with vegetables and fruit. Adjacent to the north west of the upper terraces is another levelled area, now a lawn, which was formerly divided into two parts corresponding to the upper terraces and is believed to have been occupied by a bowling green and two small ponds. The whole L-shaped area is bounded by a stone wall. Adjacent to the north east is another walled lawn known as the Green Court, also of early 18th century date. A plan for the main garden was drawn up in 1893.

{17} Formal terraced gardens and landscaped park created by Edward and Erasmus Dryden circa 1710. The gardens are in the style of George London and Henry Wise and may have contained work by John Van Nost II. Earthworks of a garden to the south of the church may represent a monastic garden or remains of an earlier house

<1> 1921, Country Life (Vol.49), p.246-52 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN8769.

<2> CECIL E, 1910, HISTORY OF GARDENING IN ENGLAND, 206 (Book). SNN55448.

<3> Hussey C., 1967, English Gardens & Landscapes 1700-1750, p.18 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77353.

<4> FOARD G., 1984, Oral Report to SMR, (unchecked) (Oral Report). SNN50437.

<5> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1981, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.36-37/Site 5 (checked) (Series). SNN77381.

<6> Holme C., 1908, Gardens of England in Midland and Eastern Counties, p.19-21 (unchecked) (Book). SNN59184.

<7> Pevsner N.; Cherry B., 1973, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, (unchecked) (Series). SNN1320.

<8> TRIGGS H.I., 1902, Formal Gardens in England and Scotland, p.12 (unchecked) (Book). SNN55447.

<9> 1904, Country Life (1904), p.978-87 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN59188.

<10> 1981, Country Life (Vol.169), p.1026-9 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN108818.

<10> 1981, Country Life (Vol.169), p.930-33 (unchecked) (Journal). SNN59151.

<11> LADY ROCKLEY, 1938, Historic Gardens of England, p.106-7 (unchecked) (Book). SNN56174.

<12> Dryden H.E.L., 1842-1895, Dryden Collection, (unchecked) (Archive). SNN115.

<13> Hibbitt, D., 2008, Archaeological Evaluation Report: Earth Resistance Survey: The Formal Gardens, Canons Ashby House, (checked) (Report). SNN107713.

<14> RCHME, 1992, Canons Ashby, Northamptonshire: An archaeological survey by the RCHME, December 1992, 889558; 832829 (Report). SNN71599.

<15> National Trust, 1989, Canons Ashby (Guide). SNN108819.

<16> English Heritage, 1994, English Heritage Scheduling Notification, English Heritage Schedule Entry 21/02/1997 (Report). SNN1342.

<17> English Heritage, 1984, Register of Parks & Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England (1984, Northamptonshire), Part 30; Revised 28-May-2004 (Report). SNN46781.

Record last edited

Jun 20 2024 11:27AM