Information for record number MWA6951:
Merevale Hall Park, Merevale

Summary	19th century formal gardens and terraces designed by W A Nesfield and 19th century parkland which incorporate elements of an early 18th century formal garden and a late 18th century scheme by Joseph Cradock.

What Is It?
Type:	Landscape Park, Kitchen Garden, Drive, Formal Garden, Garden Terrace, Loggia, Balustrade, Pool, Wild Garden, Lake
Period:	Modern - Modern (1740 AD - 2050 AD)

Where Is It?
Parish:	Atherstone
District:	North Warwickshire, Warwickshire
Grid Reference:	SP 29 97
(Data represented on this map shows the current selected record as a single point, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent an accurate or complete representation of archaeological sites or features)

Level of Protection	National - Old SMR PrefRef (Grade: ) Registered Park or Garden (Grade: II*) Sites & Monuments Record

Description
Source Number
1 Merevale Hall is a 185 heactre site comprising 10 heacctres of gardens and pleasure grounds, and 175 heactres of parkland. ENTRANCES AND APPROACHES The site is entered from the B4116 road to the south-west through a white-painted timber gate. The tarmac drive extends 130m north-north-west through the park to meet a drive which approaches from a mid 20th century lodge 270m to the south-west of the junction; this lodge replaced the 19th century Baxterley lodge. The present drive and entrance was constructed in the mid 20th century when the area to the south-west was recovered from open-cast mining. At the junction a drive leads 170m north-west to Swans Wood Farm, while the main drive turns sharply north-east and proceeds for 290m. Sweeping north and north-east the drive continues for a further 350m, with steeply rising ground to the east and wide views to the west, before turning east to approach a turning area to the south of the mid 19th century stables. To the east the drive turns north to enter the forecourt through a pair of ornamental mid 19th century cast-iron gates set in a screen of ornamental cast-iron railings supported on a low stone wall. The forecourt is separated from the stable court to the west by a stone screen wall, and is enclosed to the east by a similar wall which is terminated to the south by a massive pier supporting a metal lantern. The drive is flanked by rectangular panels of lawn and flower beds in the forecourt. The carriage court at the south-east corner of the Hall is separated from the forecourt by low stone walls which terminate in piers with ball finials, and is enclosed by stone walls. A further drive approaches the Hall from the Watling Street to the north. This entrance is flanked by a pair of mid 19th century single-storey pedimented lodges. The lodges adjoin a panelled screen wall which flanks a pair of rendered stone gate piers surmounted by carved stone vase finials, which in turn support a pair of open-work timber gates. The tarmac drive runs c 500m south before turning south-west and climbing gently for 270m to reach a white-painted timber gate adjacent to a group of mid 19th century cedars. Passing through the gate the drive continues to climb south-west through the park for 400m. The Church drive approaches the Hall from Merevale Lane to the north-west where a monumental mid 19th century gothic stone gatehouse. To the south of the gatehouse the gravelled drive is separated from the churchyard to the east by a stone wall. To the west lawns and shrubs separate the drive from the carriage court and drive of The gate House a mid 19th century House. Some 50m south-east of the gatehouse the drive passes through a simple gateway and continues for 130m south-east across the dam which retains the monastic Black Pool. The drive, today a track, sweeps south-east and south through the park for 670m, passing Rose Cottages, a pair of mid 19th century Tudor-gothic stone cottages 670m south-east of the entrance. The drive climbs south-east through an area of scattered trees to join the present principal approach from the south-west. An early 19th century, picturesque, octagonal thatched-roofed lodge, Beehive Cottage, stands on the Coleshill road 750m south-south-east of the Hall. A white-painted timber gate flanked to the east by a similar pedestrian gate leads to a track which passes for 190m through an area of mixed Woodland, the Outwoods, to join further tracks which lead west for 270m to reach the park, and east for 190m to reach a track on the west bank of the lake. PRINCIPAL BUILDING Merevale Hall stands on a level terrace to the north of, and below, the summit of a steep hill, with wide views to the west, north and east. The present mansion was constructed in a Jacobean style for William Stratford Dugdale in 1838-42 by Edward Blore and was completed with some alterations by Henry Clutton in 1842-4. gardenS AND PLEASURE GROUNDS The formal terraced gardens lie to the east of the Hall, with areas of informal pleasure ground beyond, and to the north. Wide, stone-flagged steps descend from the central door in the east facade of the Hall to the gravelled upper terrace which is laid out with a geometric, stone-kerbed parterre. The upper terrace is retained to the east by a stone wall, the parapet of which is ornamented with a group of mid 19th century stone urns. The symmetrical parterre is divided into two groups of beds divided by a central gravel walk leading east from the Hall to an axially placed flight of stone steps descending to the lower terraces. The gravelled terrace returns along the north facade of the Hall where it is retained by a stone crenellated parapet. A centrally placed double stone staircase with Jacobean-style arcaded balustrades descends to an area of informal pleasure ground. The gravelled terrace returns below the west facade of the Hall, where it is terminated to the south by a triple-arched stone loggia which is approached by a flight of stone steps. The loggia is surmounted by a stone strapwork balustrade. The west terrace is laid out with narrow, stone-kerbed panels of grass below the Hall and to the west of a central gravel walk. The stone crenellated balustrade to the west has a lower central section which is flanked by a pair of square-section stone piers which support a further pair of stone urns from Drayton Manor. A centrally placed shallow flight of stone steps descends from the gravel walk to the viewpoint. From the east terrace a central fight of stone steps descends to the second terrace which is laid out with lawns flanking a central gravel walk. Further stone steps descend from the second terrace to a narrow third terrace comprising a gravel walk set with painted timber bench seats. stone steps flanked by a pair of mid 19th century stone urns descend a tall grass bank in two flights to the lowest level of the formal gardens. The axial gravel walk extends east to a circular stone-kerbed mid 19th century Pool, which lies at the centre of a partially sunken lawn. The lawn is enclosed to the south by a grass bank planted with specimen trees and shrubs, which rises to a formal gravel walk which extends 200m south-east from the south-east corner of the upper terrace, while to the north it is enclosed by evergreen shrubs. To the east, the lawn is enclosed by a ridge of higher ground which is planted with deciduous trees, 19th century conifers and ornamental shrubbery known as The Wilderness. The central gravel walk encircles the Pool, the circumference of this central feature being marked by four stone urns set on tall stone pedestals. The walk continues east, ascending the ridge beyond the lawn where it is flanked by mature yews and specimen trees and shrubs. The Wilderness is laid out with a cruciform arrangement of gravel walks, the central crossing of which lies on the crest of the ridge. The axial walk extending from the Hall drops below the crest of the ridge and is terminated to the east by a flight of stone steps which descends to a further north/south walk. A north/south walk runs along the crest of the ridge and is terminated to the north by a 19th century, semicircular, green-painted timber alcove seat set on a stone-flagged base; to the south the walk is aligned on a small urn set on a stone pedestal. A walk returns north-west from The Wilderness towards the Hall. An early 20th century tennis lawn lies 140m south-east of the Hall, while a late 20th century swimming pool has been constructed 50m south-east of the Hall. The mid 19th century terraces and pleasure grounds replaced formal gardens which are shown on a survey of 1740. The mid 18th century formal gardens were altered by Joseph Cradock in the late 18th centur, but the outline of the early 18th century wilderness, lawn and terraces survive within Nesfield's mid 19th century scheme. park The park encircles the Hall and gardens on all sides. Today the majority of the park remains pasture, with areas of Woodland concentrated to the south and south-east. Some land to the west and north is in arable cultivation, while there are boundary plantations to the north, west and south-west. To the east and south-east the park is enclosed by a rubble-stone wall with a rustic stone coping. Some 800m east-south-east of the Hall a three-storey circular prospect tower is built into the wall. Lit by slit windows, the tapered tower has a crenellated parapet. To the north of the tower the park wall is partly screened by a plantation of limes known as wall plantation. Some 500m south-east of the Hall an irregular-shaped mid 19th century lake is retained to the north by a high earth dam faced with a curved 3m high wall of purple brick incorporating three round-arched openings. A 19th century ram which pumped water up to the Hall and gardens is situated to the north-west of the dam. To the south of the Hall a ridge of lightly Wooded high ground, park Hill, extends to the south-west boundary of the site, and is bounded to the north-west by the drive. Some 450m south of the Hall, parkhill Wood drops into a valley running west from the lake. Deciduous Woodland, the Outwoods, lies to the south of parkhill and to the east of the lake. The generally level ground below and to the west of the Hall and drive has scattered trees and a plantation, Plumtree Spinney, 320m west-south-west of the Hall; there is a further plantation at the south-west end of Black Pool 480m west of the Hall. An icehouse is cut into the steep slope below the west terrace adjacent to the 19th century kennels. KITCHEN GARDEN The KITCHEN GARDEN lies 50m north-east of the Hall below and to the north of the terraced gardens. The garden is approximately square on plan with rounded corners, and is enclosed by brick walls with stone coping. There are timber gates set in each wall. Today the garden is largely laid to lawn with late 20th century avenues of fruit trees dividing the area into quarters. A late 20th century ogee-arched tunnel arbour leads south from a slightly sunken central circular lawn to a late 20th century metal arbour. Against the north wall a vinery and a peach House of late 19th century date flank a late 20th century lean-to glasshouse and the site of a further 19th century glasshouse. A range of sheds, heating chambers and bothies remain to the north of the KITCHEN GARDEN. OTHER LAND The gardens of The gate House, a mid 19th century House designed as a rectory 670m north-west of the Hall are included in the site here registered. Two terraces descend to the south-east of the House, the upper terrace separated from the deeper lower terrace by a bank. The lower terrace, today laid to grass, is retained by a stone wall with centrally placed semicircular stone steps descending to an area of paddock. To the west and north-east of the House there are areas of shrubbery, with a mid 19th century coach house to the north. The churchyard associated with the parish church of Our Lady lies c 600m north-west of the Hall (within the area here registered). Separated from the park to the south and east by a stone ha-ha, a mature yew stands at the south-east corner of the churchyard. To the north of the Church the churchyard is separated from the gravelled area south of the mid 19th century gatehouse by a stone wall, while to the south it is enclosed by a 19th century ornamental wrought-iron fence. 3 It is possible that the ground form and the large yew trees which flank the central basin in the lower parterre may have survived from the 17th century gardens.
Sources
Source No: 2 Source Type: Bibliographic reference Title: Register of Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England Author/originator: English Heritage Date: 1994 Page Number: Volume/Sheet:     Source No: 3 Source Type: Bibliographic reference Title: Warwickshire Register Review Report & Recommendations Author/originator: Lovie, Jonathan Date: 1997 Page Number: Volume/Sheet:     Source No: 1 Source Type: Statuatory List Title: National Heritage List for England Author/originator: Historic England Date: Page Number: Volume/Sheet:

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