Information for record number MWA7112:
The 18th-19th centruy landscaped Charlecote Park

Summary	A landscape park dating to around 1757 and designed by Capability Brown, though some redesigning was undertaken in the 19th century. The features include a ha-ha, clumps, a lake and a lodge. Kitchen garden. Charlecote Park is marked on the Ordnance Survey maps from 1886. Recommended to review Register entry by Lovie.

What Is It?
Type:	Landscape Park, Kitchen Garden, Cascade, Drive, Formal Garden, Croquet Lawn, Garden Terrace, Balustrade, Ha Ha, Rockery, Shrubbery, Walk, Wild Garden
Period:	Modern - Modern (1757 AD - 2050 AD)

Where Is It?
Parish:	Charlecote
District:	Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference:	SP 25 56
(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 13 Charlecote Park is a 105 hectare site comprising 2 hectares of formal gardens and pleasure grounds around the house, and 103 hectares of Parkland. The site is generally level and forms the flood plain of the River Avon, which sweeps through the Park to the west of the house. Two tributary streams join the Avon within the Park: the River Dene to the south of the house, and a small stream, which is dammed to form a lake, to the north-west. ENTRANCES AND APPROACHES Charlecote Park is approached from the B4088 road to the east through a mid 19th century entrance designed by John. From the entrance the gravelled drive leads 260m west-north-west across the Park through an avenue of late 20th century oaks, which replaced an earlier avenue of 17th century origin which is shown in the perspective views. The avenue is terminated to the west by a 16th century brick, two-storey turreted gatehouse. The forecourt is enclosed to the south by a brick 3m high which assumed its present form under the Rev William Lucy for whom a pair of elaborate wrought-iron gates supported on brick piers with pierced obelisk finials was installed south of the house, leading from the forecourt to the kitchen court. To the north a similar and contemporary pair of leads to the garden. A similar, but lower, brick to the north of the forecourt is surmounted by mid 19th century pierced stone strapwork balustrades and urns, and serves to retain the cedar lawn above. At the central point of the north wall, stone steps set in a semi-circular recess which contains stone bench seats and which is flanked by a pair of early 18th century lead figures ascend to the cedar lawn. The present arrangement of the forecourt dates from the mid 20th century when mid 19th century formal parterres created for Mary Elizabeth Lucy were removed. The parterres had themselves replaced picturesque shrubberies and lawns which are shown in early 19th century views, and a circular pool and fountain which is shown in Beighton's view of 1722 and Fish's plan of 1736. The south-west drive, now a track follows the line of the old Stratford road. The drive enters the Park through a Jacobean-style stone arch closed by wrought-iron gates and flanked by brick wing walls surmounted by pierced stone balustrades designed by John Gibson in Turning sharply north, the drive crosses the River Dene on a triple-arched stone bridge, Park bridge which was built in 1867. The grounds around the house are separated from the deer park by mid 19th century wrought-iron gates at the south end of the bridge. From the south-west drive there are views north-east across the River Avon to the house, and east across the south Park, which are punctuated by Park bridge and Hiorn's bridge on the Park boundary. PRINCIPAL BUILDING Charlecote (listed grade I) stands on a level terrace on the east bank of the River Avon towards the centre of the Park. The present red-brick, two-storey house was built between 1551 and 1559-60 by Sir Thomas Lucy gardenS AND PLEASURE GROUNDS The formal gardens and informal pleasure grounds lie to the north and west of the house. The forecourt to the east is also treated ornamentally. From the forecourt the gardens are approached by wrought-iron gates at the north-east corner of the house, which lead to a gravel walk running parallel to the north facade of the house. To the north is the croquet lawn, separated from the Park to the west and north by low brick walls surmounted by mid 19th century pierced stone balustrades surmounted by urns designed by John Gibson. At the west end of the gravel walk a broad flight of stone steps descends to terraces which lie between the mid 19th century west range and the River Avon. The upper terrace is enclosed by mid 19th century pierced stone balustrades surmounted by stone urns designed by Gibson with small circular bastions containing stone bench seats at the north-west and south-west corners. A broad flight of stone steps descends from the centre of the west side of the parterre terrace to a narrow gravelled lower terrace, from which a further flight of stone steps descends to the river. There is a further terrace enclosed by pierced stone balustrades below the mid 19th century south wing. This is approached from the west terrace by a flight of stone steps, and is today laid out with a gravelled area to the north and a small parterre to the south. From the gates leading from the forecourt a further gravel walk gently ascends to the north-east above a grass bank to the east of the bowling green. To the east of this walk is a level, roughly square lawn which frames the single-storey stone orangery 80m north-east of the house. The orangery replaced a mid 18th century classical summerhouse built by George Lucy to replace the late 17th century cupillo which formed part of the formal gardens. To the east the lawn is separated from the Park by a brick and stone coped ha-ha which was rebuilt by Gibson in 1851-3 for Mary Elizabeth Lucy. To the west of the orangery, and 50m north-east of the house, is a small rustic timber and thatch mid 19th century summerhouse, known as Granny's summerhouse. To the north of the summerhouse is a 19th century rockery and shrubbery, which adjoins a gravel walk. Known as the Ladies' walk, this extends 80m north, forming the west side of a raised, apsidal-ended promontory retained by brick walls which extends into the Park for 100m. Park Surrounding the house on all sides, the Park remains a managed deer park with herds of fallow and red deer. An enclosure 600m west of the house is today under plough. Some 240m north-north-east of the house a lake formed by damming a small steam is retained to the west by an earth dam with a wide, brick-lined cascade which is joined by low brick walls to a stone arched 10m to the west. The bridge carries a drive to Place Meadow at the north-west corner of the Park. The lake is said to be of 16th century origin; it was altered in the mid 18th century by Brown, but a chain of three ponds is shown in this location on the 1791 estate plan. The north bank of the lake is planted with cedars and other ornamental trees. An avenue of limes extends 260m north-east from the gatehouse across the east Park to the parish church. This avenue, replanted in the late 20th century, follows the course of an avenue shown on the early C18 perspective painting, and on Beighton's view. The Park to the south and south-east of the house is crossed from east to west by the River Dene. The confluence of the Rivers Dene and Avon 80m south-west of the house is marked by a stone stepped cascade which was originally constructed in 1757-61 to the design of Lancelot Brown, and which was renovated in 1867 by Gibson. The south Park was extended in the 19th century by the addition of the 'Polo Field', a level enclosure 400m south-east of the house which had previously been farmland associated with King's Mead farm 670m south-east of the house. The West Park 250m south-west of the house was developed from the mid 18th century when the Stratford road was closed. KITCHEN GARDEN The KITCHEN GARDEN lies 400m east-south-east of the house. Today the KITCHEN GARDEN is in divided ownership and use, with the northern section being used as a commercial nursery. The gardener's house stands in late 20th century ornamental gardens which are bordered to the south by the River Dene. 2 The Parkland created by Capability Brown overlay an earlier formal scheme. There were further alterations and developments in the 19th century, and the surviving pleasure grounds have a 19th century character. Features include Parkland with lodge, drive, avenues, lake, clumps, ha-ha, pleasure grounds with parterre terrace, shrubberies, conservatory, KITCHEN GARDEN, orangery. 3 Charlecote was the first Park in the area to be redesigned by Capability Brown in the mid 18th century. 4 Soon after George Lucy inherited the estate in 1744 work began on relandscaping. Capability Brown was involved by 1757, at which date his unfinished survey plan of Charlecote was made, and was formally commissioned in 1760. By this time the road had been diverted away from the house, across a new bridge, and considerable planting had already been undertaken. Payments to Brown were made between 1761 and 1778, during which period a number of Features including the cascade were completed. In the first half of the 19th century the house was restored and the gardens remodelled (illustrations of the 18th century gardens survive); many Features of the 19th century gardens survive. 5 The OS 1:10560 1886 Sheet Warks 44NE shows the western half of the Park shaded, and a number of tree plantations. 6 The OS 1:10560 1886 Sheet Warks 45NW shows an avenue extending beyond the line of the Wellesbourne road. 7 The OS 1:10560 1938 Sheet Warks 44NE shows an avenue extending west beyond the line of the Park marked in 1886. 8 The OS 1:10560 1906 Sheet Warks 45NW shows the eastern half of the Park shaded; the avenue shown on the 1886 map is no longer visible. 12 Management plan produced for the National Trust. Source contains discussion of development of deer park using a range of documentary and cartographic sources. Also contains an archaeological survey report.
Sources
Source No: 1 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: 2 Source Type: Bibliographic reference Title: Warwickshire Register Review Data Tables (Stratford on Avon) Author/originator: Lovie, Jonathan Date: 1997 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: 4 Source Type: Bibliographic reference Title: Warwickshire Register Review Report & Recommendations Author/originator: Lovie, Jonathan Date: 1997 Page Number: Volume/Sheet:     Source No: 12 Source Type: Conservation Plan Title: Charlecote Park Management Plan Author/originator: C Addison Date: 2007 Page Number: Volume/Sheet:     Source No: 13 Source Type: Statuatory List Title: National Heritage List for England Author/originator: Historic England Date: Page Number: Volume/Sheet:     Source No: 5 Source Type: Map Title: 44NE 1:10560 1887 2nd edition Author/originator: Ordnance Survey Date: 1887 Page Number: Volume/Sheet: 44NE     Source No: 6 Source Type: Map Title: 45NW 1:10560 1886 Author/originator: Ordnance Survey Date: 1886 Page Number: Volume/Sheet: 45NW     Source No: 7 Source Type: Map Title: 44NE 1:10560 1938 Author/originator: Ordnance Survey Date: 1938 Page Number: Volume/Sheet: 44NE     Source No: 8 Source Type: Map Title: 45NW 1:10560 1906 Author/originator: Ordnance Survey Date: 1906 Page Number: Volume/Sheet: 45NW     Source No: 10 Source Type: Map Title: Historic Landscape Assessment Maps Author/originator: Hooke D Date: 1999 Page Number: Volume/Sheet:     Source No: 11 Source Type: Map Title: Greenwood's Map of the County of Warwick 1822 Author/originator: Greenwood C & J Date: 1822 Page Number: Volume/Sheet:     Source No: 9 Source Type: Unpublished document Title: Historic Landscape Assessment Author/originator: Hooke D Date: 1999 Page Number: Volume/Sheet:

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