Information for record number MWA7338:
Wroxall Abbey Park, Brimingham Road, Wroxall

Summary	Parkland with the remains of a late 17th century formal landscape, together with mid 19th century gardens and pleasure grounds.

What Is It?
Type:	Landscape Park, Formal Garden, Drive, Garden Terrace, Summerhouse, Rose Garden, Sundial, Walled Garden, Kitchen Garden, Lake
Period:	Modern - Modern (1660 AD - 2050 AD)

Where Is It?
Parish:	Baddesley Clinton
District:	Warwick, Warwickshire
Grid Reference:	SP 22 70
(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 2 Wroxall Abbey's 115 heactre site comprises heactres of formal and informal gardens and pleasure grounds around the house, and 100 heactres of parkland. Wroxall Abbey is entered from the A4141 Birmingham Road to the east. The entrance is marked by mid 19th century quadrant walls and ornamental railings flanking brick piers surmounted by pyramidal stone finials which support ornamental wrought-iron gates. Within the site and immediately to the north-west of the entrance stands a mid 19th century gothic gabled brick lodge comprising a single storey and attic with stone ornaments. The tarmac drive follows a straight course for 480m west-south-west through an avenue of oak and limes to enter the pleasure grounds through a pair of 19th century wrought-iron gates 130m east of the house. The drive continues west-south-west for 100m through the pleasure grounds to the south of the early 14th century Church of St Leonard and to the north of the 12th century ruins of the priory, to reach the forecourt below the east facade of the house. The forecourt is enclosed to the north, east and south by mid 19th century stone balustrades with pierced quatrefoil openings. An entrance to the south-east gives access to the drive, while a further entrance to the north-east leads to a service drive which sweeps 30m north-east, north and west to reach the mid 19th century stables 30m north of the house. The east drive was developed in the early 19th century, replacing an approach from a public Road which ran immediately to the west of the 16th century house. This Road entered the park from the Birmingham Road at a point 650m north-east of the 19th century mansion, where a pair of 18th century rusticated stone piers survive. The Road swept south and south-west across the park, crossing the north avenue 200m north of the house to enter the 'Great Court' immediately west of the house. It then ran 530m south through the park to join a minor Road 100m south of the park boundary. PRINCIPAL BUILDING Wroxall Abbey stands on a level terrace towards the centre of the site. The house comprises a principal range of two storeys and an attic, with service quarters to the north. gardenS AND PLEASURE GROUNDS The formal gardens lie to the west, south and north-east of the house, with informal pleasure grounds to the south and south-east. The gardens and pleasure grounds are separated from the surrounding park by 19th and 20th century metal railings, while 50m east of the house the graveyard associated with and immediately to the north of St Leonard's Church is enclosed to the west, north and east by brick walls. A gravel terrace extends below the south facade of the house, and returns below the west facade. The west terrace is terminated to the north by a mid 20th century swimming pool constructed on the site of a mid 19th century conservatory. A gravel walk extends north beyond the terrace to give access to the lawns below, and to the kitchen garden to the north. Some 60m west of the house the boundary of the pleasure grounds is screened by groups of 19th century ornamental trees and shrubs. To the south of the house a flight of stone steps aligned on the centre of the facade descends a grass bank below the upper terrace to reach a second gravel terrace leading west to a flight of steps which descends to the lawns, and which is terminated to the east by a 19th century summerhouse. To the south of the lower terrace a formal rose garden comprises geometric beds divided by gravel walks which radiate from a centrally placed 19th century stone sundial. Semicircular on plan, the rose garden breaks forward into the pleasure grounds and is enclosed by 19th century stone balustrades which return to east and west to enclose square lawns. A double flight of stone steps placed on the central axis of the rose garden descends to lawns and informal pleasure grounds. From the summerhouse at the east end of the second terrace a walk sweeps south-east to reach a further area of formal lawns 30m south-east of the house which surround the ruins of the medieval priory. The south walk forms a terrace retained by a low 18th century brick wall, while the east walk is informal. To the east the lawn is enclosed by an early 18th century brick wall, while to the north-west there are further monastic remains. A shallow flight of stone steps descends from the central point of the lawn to reach 20th century tennis courts enclosed to the east and south by evergreen shrubbery. The steps are flanked by a pair of early 18th century rusticated stone piers surmounted by stone fluted vase finals. The upper or south-east lawn corresponds to the southern half of an early 18th century walled garden to the east of the 16th century house. The lawn is the site of the mid 19th century flower garden. To the north of the east drive the northern area of this garden survives and is known as the 'Wren garden'. The garden is enclosed to the east and north by early 18th century brick walls. The north wall comprises six semicircular recesses linked by rectangular piers surmounted by urns. The Wren garden is enclosed to the south and west by yew hedges, the boundary to the south-west describing a semicircular bay. The eastern half of the garden is occupied by mid 20th century tennis courts, while central north/south and east/west walks are bounded by espalier fruit trees. The informal pleasure grounds below the south terraces and to the south-west of the house comprise lawns planted with groups of specimen trees and shrubs. These fall gently from the terraced gardens to a lake of irregular outline 80m south-west of the house. A 19th century boathouse on the west side of the lake 150m south-west of the house does not survive, but a late 20th century timber landing stage has been constructed 80m south-west of the house. A serpentine inlet to the north-east of the lake is crossed by the remains of a late 19th or early 20th century stone and timber bridge flanked by 20th century ornamental planting. Some 50m south-east of the house a mound planted with evergreen shrubs and trees contains an 18th or early 19th century brick-lined icehouse. park Surrounding the house on all sides, the park is today in mixed agricultural use, with scattered mature parkland trees and 19th century clumps of trees surviving in arable land and pasture. Mixed boundary plantations enclose the park to the north, north-east, east and south-west. The park is divided by four avenues which radiate from the house and pleasure grounds to the north, east, south-east and south. The north avenue, aligned on the gate in the north wall of the Wren garden, extends 650m north-north-west across the park to the Birmingham Road. The east avenue was replanted with limes in the early or mid 19th century when a new access was constructed on the line of the late 17th or early 18th century oak avenue; this has been the principal approach to the house since 1866. Mid 20th century sports pitches lie in the park to the south of the east avenue, with a mid 20th century pavilion 300m east-south-east of the house. The south-east avenue or Fir Tree walk extends 400m south-east across the park from the pleasure grounds; this avenue is identified as the Fir Tree walk on Godson's plan (1805), and is described in the sale particulars of 1861. kitchen garden The kitchen garden lies immediately to the north of the house, and is enclosed to the south-west, west, north and north-east by mid 19th century brick walls 3m high. The north-west and north-east angles of the garden are canted. To the south-east the garden adjoins the mid 19th century stables and staff cottages, while to the south it adjoins the service quarters north of the main range of the house. The garden is currently planted with conifers. Remnants of glasshouses, vineries and peach houses survive to the south-west. The mid 19th century garden replaced an early 18th century kitchen garden which occupied what is today known as the Wren garden 100m east of the house. 3 Lovie gives details of parkland with avenues; pleasure grounds around house; walks, terrace to South and West, formal garden to South; mixed planting, shrubberies; lake with boathouse; kitchen garden. He adds that house used as school 1934 - 1995. He adds that the present owner (at time of Lovie's report 1996/7) intends to maintain gardens. walled garden used as Christmas tree nursery. Remainder of gardens survive well (at time of report); much of parkland under plough.
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: 3 Source Type: Bibliographic reference Title: Warwickshire Register Review Data Tables (Warwick) Author/originator: Lovie, Jonathan Date: 1997 Page Number: Volume/Sheet:     Source No: 2 Source Type: Statuatory List Title: National Heritage List for England Author/originator: Historic England Date: Page Number: Volume/Sheet:

Images:
There are no images associated with this record.

back to top