Information for record number MWA8186:
Bilton Grange Park, Northampton Lane, Dunchurch

Summary	Bilton Grange park is a mid Victorian garden and pleasure grounds set in a small park accompanying a country house designed by A W N Pugin, together with a walled garden to Pugin's design.

What Is It?
Type:	Park, Formal Garden, Drive, Garden Terrace, Kitchen Garden, Pool
Period:	Modern - Modern (1801 AD - 2050 AD)

Where Is It?
Parish:	Dunchurch
District:	Rugby, Warwickshire
Grid Reference:	SP 49 71
(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 7 Bilton Grange is a 50 heactre site comprising 11 heaectres of gardens and pleasure grounds, and 39 heactres of parkland. Today the site is approached from the A426 Rugby Road at its junction with Northampton Lane. The entrance is flanked by low, late 20th century reconstituted stone wing walls, and a two-storey lodge , dated 1883. The mid 19th century estate gas works which stood to the north-east of the lodge do not survive. The tarmac drive passes south-east for 130m through an avenue of limes, before reaching a small, late 19th century red-brick inner lodge. The inner lodge marks the boundary of the western park, and the point at which the drive is crossed by the public footpath which runs north from Dunchurch. The drive continues through an avenue of limes for 160m to reach the mid 19th century stable court and mid and late 20th century school buildings and sports facilities which lie to the west of the house. The present drive was constructed in the late 19th century by John Lancaster, and replaced an earlier approach from the north. The drive running through the avenue, today a grassy track, was created after 1861. Both the early 19th century drive and the mid 19th century drive turn south-west and pass through a pair of brick and stone gate piers designed by A W N Pugin to enter the 'shrubbery avenue', which today survives as evergreen shrubbery and mature trees. PRINCIPAL building Bilton Grange stands to the south of the centre of the site. gardenS AND PLEASURE GROUNDS Lying to the south and east of the house, the gardens comprise formal lawns, avenues and an area of informal walks adjacent to the southern boundary of the site. To the east of the house, is a stone-flagged terrace enclosed by a stone terrace wall. The terrace overlooks a level lawn approached by stone steps at the south-east corner of the terrace, which is enclosed to the north by the late 19th century east wing and a mid 20th century school hall, while to the south a grass bank rises to the level of the formal gardens to the south of the house. A gravel walk extends below the south facade of the house, separating it from level lawns which are contained by raised walks along the west and south sides. Parallel to, and 10m from the south facade, is a cross walk aligned on a sunken circular pool at its eastern end, and widened as a circular feature at the midway point across the formal lawns. Some 60m south of the house a second cross walk, now partially levelled at its eastern end, divides the formal lawns from a bowling green, which is in turn enclosed to the south by a further raised cross walk 100m from the house. Aligned on the door on the south facade leading from the Gallery, a straight walk extends southwards for 100m across the lawns, and continues for 190m as the central path through an avenue of monkey puzzles, which are planted on raised earth mounds and alternate with specimen yews. walks leading south-west and south-east from the monkey puzzle avenue enter an area of winding paths which weave through a complex of undulating banks, on which are planted a variety of ornamental trees. Parallel, and to the west of the beech walk and monkey puzzle avenue, forming the western boundary of the pleasure grounds, is a second north/south axial walk which is marked by an avenue of Deodar cedars. This walk is aligned to the north on the mid 19th century conservatory to the west of the house. park The main area of parkland lies to the north of the house, and is bisected unequally by the lime avenue leading from the house to North lodge. Within the Plantation, well screened from the park by a dense under-planting of evergreen shrubs, stand Cock Robin buildings, formerly an inn but today private residences. East of the lime avenue the park remains mown grass with scattered specimen trees, and is divided from fields which fall away to the east by fencing which joins three small areas of woodland. At the southern end of Fox Covert, also known as Bath wood, 270m north-east of the house, is an early 20th century open-air swimming pool and associated timber changing rooms, formed from an earlier pool. The parkland on the east-facing slope below the house is today in arable cultivation, but retains scattered groups of wellingtonia, together with oaks from hedgerows which were removed in the course of mid 19th century improvements. Some 350m south-east of the house, and immediately outside the area here registered, are the buildings of Dunchurch lodge Farm, which until 1887 formed part of the Bilton Grange estate. KITCHEN GARDEN Lying some 200m south-west of the house, the brick-walled KITCHEN GARDEN occupies the south-west corner of the site, to the west and parallel to the southern end of the Deodar cedar avenue. The KITCHEN GARDEN has four entrances, one in the centre of each wall, those to the north, east and west being closed by an oak double door set in a stone gothic arch, with a small, fish-scale-tiled porch roof above on the inner face of the wall. The entrance in the south wall has been removed; when in existence it led to glasshouses constructed against the outer face of this wall, a slip garden, and a path leading to the informal walks to the south of the cedar and monkey puzzle avenues. The garden is today laid to grass, with late 20th century ornamental planting against the inner face of the north and west walls. A central, sunken, octagonal dipping pool surrounded by stone kerbs and a paved walk was originally approached by four flights of stone steps, only two of which survive today. These were aligned on the four doors set in the garden walls. walks dividing the garden into quarters do not survive. A 20m deep slip garden which runs parallel to the eastern wall is divided from the pleasure grounds by a hedge of Portugese laurel. Adjoining the outer north-west corner, and at the end of a holly-hedged slip garden beyond the north wall which remains in cultivation as a vegetable and flower garden, stands a mid 19th century two-storey brick gardener's house. A ground-floor window in the south facade allows oversight of the walled garden. 2 Mid Victorian gardens and pleasure grounds set in a small park accompanying a country house built by A W N Pugin. 3 A short history of Bilton which mentions that the Boughton family gained possession of the Grange in 1610. 4 Lovie reports a parkland with avenue to N; boundary planting and woodland. Paddocks/park to SE. Pleasure grounds to SW with shrubberies, wilderness, walks; large KITCHEN GARDEN with pool. 5 Test pitting in 2012 by Iain Soden Heritage Services revealed the foundations of the walled garden along with evidence for 150 years of cultivation. 6 In 2014 the central pool in the walled garden was recorded prior to itss infilling. The pond comprised a centrall well surrounded b y a hexagonal brick lined pool which was accessed by four flights of steps.
Sources
Source No: 6 Source Type: Archaeological Report Title: Recording the central pond at Bilton Grange walled garden Author/originator: Soden I Date: 2014 Page Number: Volume/Sheet:     Source No: 3 Source Type: Bibliographic reference Title: Victoria County History, vol 6, Warwickshire Author/originator: Salzman L F (ed) Date: 1951 Page Number: Volume/Sheet: VI     Source No: 2 Source Type: Bibliographic reference Title: Draft Description Author/originator: Date: 1998 Page Number: Volume/Sheet:     Source No: 4 Source Type: Bibliographic reference Title: Warwickshire Register Review Data Tables (North Warwickshire, Nuneaton & Bedworth, Rugby) Author/originator: Lovie, Jonathan Date: 1997 Page Number: Volume/Sheet:     Source No: 1 Source Type: Correspondence Title: Bilton Grange Park Author/originator: J M Fraser Date: 1998 Page Number: Volume/Sheet:     Source No: 5 Source Type: Evaluation Report Title: An Archaeological Evaluation at Bilton Grange School Walled Garden Author/originator: Soden I Date: 2012 Page Number: Volume/Sheet:     Source No: 7 Source Type: Statuatory List Title: National Heritage List for England Author/originator: Historic England Date: Page Number: Volume/Sheet:

Images:
	The approach to Bilton Grange near Dunchurch Copyright: Warwickshire County Council Date: 1930s
Click here for larger image

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