Information for record number MWA7333:
Radway Grange Gardens, Radway

Summary	Mid 18th century gardens, pleasure grounds and park with landscape structures, owned and constructed by Sanderson Miller.

What Is It?
Type:	Landscape Park, Formal Garden, Drive, Pond, Rock Garden, Garden Terrace, Ha Ha, Topiary Garden, Rose Garden, Pool, Cascade, Water Garden, Walk, Kitchen Garden
Period:	Modern (1739 AD - 2050 AD)

Where Is It?
Parish:	Radway
District:	Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference:	SP 37 47
(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

Picture(s) attached
Description
Source Number
1 10 Radway Grange is situated in the centre of the village of Radway at the foot of the Edge Hill escarpmen. The 45 heactre site comprises some 3 heactres of gardens around the house, 19 heactres of park, and 23 heactres of woodland with walks and ornamental structures on the west-facing slope of Edge Hill. Radway Grange is approached from the village street, the entrance is formed by low stone walls set at right-angles to the gravelled drive. The drive extends 70m south-west and is flanked to the south-east by a narrow lawn, beyond which a stone wall 3m high encloses the kitchen garden. Some 25m south-west of the entrance a mid 18th century stone statue of Caractacus in chains stands against the wall. To the north-west the drive adjoins level lawns. Turning sharply south-east the drive passes through a gabled, two-storey stone gatehouse to enter a gravelled entrance court. The court, formed from the stable yard by Morley Horder in the early 20th century, is enclosed to the east by a cobbled terrace and the 17th century stables, which are joined to the main house to the south by a wing built by Morley Horder. To the south-west the court is enclosed by a stone wall in which a wrought-iron gate set in a rusticated stone mid 18th century doorway leads to the gardens. Raised beds are retained by drystone walls, while to the west and north-west lawns extend to borders below the stone kitchen garden walls. Topiary yew birds stand adjacent to the walls, while to the north-west the gabled 17th century dovecote adjoins a service drive which leads east to further stables and thence south-east to the park. Prior to the creation of Morley Horder's early 20th century gatehouse and entrance on the north façade of the house, the entrance was situated on the west façade. The drive extended south-west to reach a large carriage circle on the west side of the house. A further drive enters the site from the Tower at the summit of Edge Hill, 720m south-east of the house. This drive, today a steep, rough track, descends through woodland on the escarpment north-east for 130m before turning sharply west to enter the park. The drive continues as a grassy track north-west through the park, turning sharply north-east 320m south-east of the house before resuming a course north-west to reach the service quarters and stables north-east of the house. This drive, developed by Miller in the mid 18th century from an earlier track linking Radway and Edge Granges, is unlikely to have been used as a carriage approach due to its steep gradient. PRINCIPAL BUILDING Radway Grange stands on level ground below the foot of Edge Hill, towards the northern boundary of the site. The three-storey house is approximately square on plan, and is constructed in Hornton stone. gardenS AND PLEASURE GROUNDS Formal gardens lie immediately to the west and east of the house, with lawns and informal pleasure grounds to the south and west. An irregular-shaped pond fed by water piped under the house from Edge Hill lies 50m west of the house. To the south-west of the pond an early 20th century rock garden constructed from limestone incorporates an artificial stream. The pond is separated from early and late 20th century Formal gardens adjacent to the house by informal lawns; a late 20th century rectangular, stone-edged swimming pool is aligned from north to south below the Formal garden. To the north of the lawn, the late 18th century Chatham urn stands on a square stone pedestal. The Formal garden below the west façade of the house comprises a gravelled upper terrace, retained by stone walls, which connects with a wrought-iron gate set in the entrance court wall to the north. A shallow flight of stone steps descends to a wide, stone-flagged walk flanked by herbaceous borders. A further flight of stone steps descends to the lawn and swimming pool. The terrace, stone-flagged walk and herbaceous borders replaced the 19th century carriage circle, and were laid out by Morley Horder in the early 1920s. South of the house a lawn is separated from the park by a mid 18th century drystone ha-ha. The ha-ha sweeps in an arc east and north to enclose the gardens east of the house, before turning east to enclose the topiary garden to the north-east. The Formal garden below the east façade comprises a square enclosure bounded to the west and north by the house, and to the south and east by low yew hedges. The garden is divided into quarters by cruciform stone-flagged walks which converge on a central, raised octagonal stone basin. The quarters are laid out with a parterre of box ribbons and spires on a gravel base. This late 20th century east garden designed by Rupert Golby replaces a formal rose garden laid out by Morley Horder in the early 20th century which had as its central feature an early 18th century baluster sundial. To the north-east of the east garden, a late 20th century gravelled sitting area leads to a gravel walk extending 50m north-east parallel to the ha-ha to reach the park. An area of late 20th century informal pleasure grounds lies to the south-west of the south lawn, and south of the pond. Separated from the park by late 20th century metal estate fencing, this area comprises a late 20th century hard tennis court 50m south-west of the house, together with late 20th century ancillary BUILDINGs, with areas of informal tree planting designed by Rupert Golby. park The park lies on the lower, west-facing slope of Edge Hill to the south-east of Radway Grange and incorporates the remains of mid 18th century pleasure grounds created by Sanderson Miller. Today the park remains pasture with scattered mature deciduous trees and groups of trees concentrated on the upper slope. Some 200m south-east of the house, the park is divided from north-east to south-west by a late 20th century timber post and rail fence set in a late 20th century ha-ha. Two further parallel ditches run from north-east to south-west across the park 530m and 670m south-east of the house. A raised bank running parallel to the south-west boundary of the park ascends 190m south-east to an overgrown, roughly circular pool. The bank continues south-east and parallel to the park boundary for 270m to the boundary of woodland on the upper slopes of Edge Hill. The banks represent the remains of a boundary walk laid out by Miller in the mid 18th century which would have enjoyed views north across the park and south-west across the Vale of the Red Horse. Some 600m south-east of the house, a rectangular pool aligned from south-east to north-west and flanked by a single row of mature limes lies adjacent to the upper boundary of the park. Some 50m north-west and below the pool, a Hornton stone obelisk erected in 1834 stands on a mound. Below and to the south-east of the mound a horseshoe-shaped depression leads into a further narrow depression which extends 50m north-west to a sharp drop in level where there are some fragments of exposed stone. This sharp drop represents Miller's cascade, constructed in 1739. To the north-east of the site of the cascade, a patch of brambles corresponds to the site of the St Thomas' Well marked by Salmon on his map of 1756. A plantation of deciduous trees 190m north-west of the obelisk and 400m south-east of the house contains a rectangular monastic pool. Known as the Long pool and aligned from north-east to south-west, the pool was adapted by Miller as the lowest feature in the mid 18th century water garden. To the north-east the park is bounded by a narrow plantation through which a stream flows north-west from woodland on the upper slope of Edge Hill. This plantation formed a mid 18th century boundary walk which followed the stream. The boundary plantation turns sharply south-west adjacent to the south-east boundary of Ivy Lodge, and today terminates to the north-east of an area of paddock 270m east-south-east of the house. In the late 19th century the plantation continued along the south-east boundary of the paddock to connect with shrubbery 240m south-east of the house, adjacent to a pond and an early 20th century timber barn. A late 20th century manege has been constructed on the site of the shrubbery to the north of the pond, and is surrounded by young trees and shrubs. kitchen garden The kitchen garden lies 50m north of the house, immediately to the north of the entrance court. Enclosed to the west and south-west by high stone walls, the inner faces of which are lined with brick, the garden is entered from the drive to the north-west of the early 20th century gatehouse through an 18th century rusticated arch which is closed by an early 20th century wrought-iron gate. A further entrance closed by late 20th century wrought-iron gates leads from the stable court north of the dovecote. To the north the garden is enclosed by a cottage, while to the east it is adjoined by the stables and dovecote. A late 20th century, single-storey, octagonal tile-roofed shelter and toilet is built into the south-west wall to the east of the entrance arch. The garden remains in full cultivation and is divided unequally in two by a brick path surmounted by gothic rose arches which runs west from the entrance adjacent to the dovecote. To the north the garden is laid out with espalier fruit trees separated by narrow grass paths while to the south four vegetable beds are separated by cruciform grass paths which converge on an octagonal late 20th century stone font. Fruit trees are trained against the west wall. The present kitchen garden corresponds to Miller's mid 18th century kitchen garden which was probably created after 1756 when cottages or BUILDINGs to the west were cleared. OTHER LAND The site includes ornamental woodland, walks and landscape structures on the upper slopes of Edge Hill. Some 720m south-east of the house the Tower stands on the crest of the escarpment, forming a prominent landmark within the estate and beyond across south Warwickshire. To the east of the Tower, and connected to it by a timber footbridge, a gatehouse comprises a ramped approach from the east which passes between flanking walls to reach a pair of square-section Towers. The south Tower rises through three storeys with a crenellated parapet, while the north Tower today terminates in a sloping tile roof, but was designed as a ruin. The mid 18th century drive which descends the escarpment adjacent to the Tower joins a level terrace which extends 270m north-east along the upper boundary of the park. The terrace is today continued by a track which leads 800m north-north-east through deciduous woodland on Edge Hill. A further walk leads south-west from the terrace above the park. Some 80m south-west of the terrace a level semicircular bastion, the outer, western side of which is planted with a single row of mature limes, is the site of a circular summerhouse marked on Salmon's map (1756). Some 130m beyond the site of the summerhouse, and at a lower level adjacent to the park boundary, rubble survives from a small mid 18th century rectangular barn or stable which had an ornamental gothic façade in stucco. The walk continues for 500m south-west through woodland to join King John's Lane 1km south of the house. 2 Grounds laid out from 1740. Survive little changed apart from 1920s garden, though has been some intrusive development. features include boundary planting, woodland, ponds, drives, Tower, obelisk and pleasure grounds. 3 park designed by Miller as a unified landscape on slopes between Radway Grange and Edge Hill Tower; Gothic revival features were possibly inspired by Medieval and Civil War associations of site. Some documentary evidence for development, including Miller's diaries 1749-50. features include: cascade c1740, Egge Cottage 1743-4, Edge Hill Tower slightly later, gatehouse and artificial ruins (not extant) 1750. Estate remained in Miller family until 1916, with added features including obelisk (1854). New owners in the 1920s made changes to the gardens immediately around the house, adding a topiary garden and formal rose garden. Estate has since been divided and much of parkland is in agricultural use, which detracts from overall unity. 9 Investigation of the age of trees felled in Castle wood was carried out to investigate whether these beeches were planted in the mid-18th century by Sanderson Miller as part of the landscape design for his new park at Radway Grange. The setimated planting dates for the trees was 1768 to 1774. This is the period after which Miller had acquired the scarp edge following his enclosure of Radway in 1756, so fits Well with his landscaping activities, but they are not the 103 beeches received from Sir Edward Turner noted in his accounts for January 1756, however it does confirm that he containued to plant Edgehill escarpment up to 1777.
Sources
Source No: 9 Source Type: Article in serial Title: Radway, Warwickshire: the making of a landscape Author/originator: Wood, A. & Hawkes, W. Date: 1987 Page Number: 103-130 Volume/Sheet: 7:2     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: 10 Source Type: Statuatory List Title: National Heritage List for England Author/originator: Historic England Date: Page Number: Volume/Sheet:     Source No: 4 Source Type: Map Title: 52NW 1:10560 1886 Author/originator: Ordnance Survey Date: 1886 Page Number: Volume/Sheet: 52NW     Source No: 5 Source Type: Map Title: 52SW 1:10560 1886 Author/originator: Ordnance Survey Date: 1886 Page Number: Volume/Sheet: 52SW     Source No: 6 Source Type: Map Title: 52NW 1:10560 1923 Author/originator: Ordnance Survey Date: 1923 Page Number: Volume/Sheet: 52NW     Source No: 7 Source Type: Map Title: 52SW 1:10560 1928 Author/originator: Ordnance Survey Date: 1928 Page Number: Volume/Sheet: 52SW     Source No: 8 Source Type: Map Title: Greenwood's Map of the County of Warwick 1822 Author/originator: Greenwood C & J Date: 1822 Page Number: Volume/Sheet:

Images:
	A dovecote associated with a former landscape park at Radway Grange Copyright: Warwickshire County Council Date: 28/03/1988
Click here for larger image

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