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Blenhiem palace park and garden Blenheim sits in the centre of a large undulating park, a classic example of the English landscape garden movement and style. When Vanbrugh first cast his eyes over it in 1704 he immediately conceived a typically grandiose plan: through the park trickled the small River Glyme, and Vanbrugh envisaged this marshy brook traversed by the "finest bridge in Europe". Thus, ignoring the second opinion offered by Sir Christopher Wren, the marsh was channelled into three smallcanal- like streams and across it rose a bridge of huge proportions, so huge it was reported to contain some 30-odd rooms. While the bridge was indeed an amazing wonder, in this setting it appeared incongruous, causing Alexander Pope to comment: "the minnows, as under this vast arch they pass, murmur, 'how like whales we look, thanks to your Grace.'" Horace Walpole saw it in 1760, shortly before Capability Brown's improvements: "the bridge, like the beggars at the old duchess's gate, begs for a drop of water and is refused." [21] Another of Vanbrugh's schemes was the great parterre, nearly half a mile long and as wide as the south front. Also in the park, completed after the 1st Duke's death, is the Column of Victory. It is 134 ft (41 m) high and terminates a great avenue of elms leading to the palace, which were planted in the positions of Marlborough's troops at the Battle of Blenheim. Vanbrugh had wanted an obelisk to mark the site of the former royal manor, and the trysts of Henry II which had taken place there, causing the 1st Duchess to remark, "If there were obelisks to bee made of all what our Kings have done of that sort, the countrey would bee stuffed with very odd things" (sic). The obelisk was never realised. The Column of Victory in the Palace grounds

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Page 1: Blenhiem Palace Park and Garden

Blenhiem palace park and garden

Blenheim sits in the centre of a large undulating park, a classic example of the English landscape

garden movement and style. When Vanbrugh first cast his eyes over it in 1704 he immediately

conceived a typically grandiose plan: through the park trickled the small River Glyme, and

Vanbrugh envisaged this marshy brook traversed by the "finest bridge in Europe". Thus, ignoring

the second opinion offered by Sir Christopher Wren, the marsh was channelled into three

smallcanal-like streams and across it rose a bridge of huge proportions, so huge it was reported

to contain some 30-odd rooms. While the bridge was indeed an amazing wonder, in this setting it

appeared incongruous, causing Alexander Pope to comment: "the minnows, as under this vast

arch they pass, murmur, 'how like whales we look, thanks to your Grace.'"

Horace Walpole saw it in 1760, shortly before Capability Brown's improvements: "the bridge, like

the beggars at the old duchess's gate, begs for a drop of water and is refused."[21] Another of

Vanbrugh's schemes was the great parterre, nearly half a mile long and as wide as the south

front. Also in the park, completed after the 1st Duke's death, is the Column of Victory. It is 134 ft

(41 m) high and terminates a great avenue of elms leading to the palace, which were planted in

the positions of Marlborough's troops at the Battle of Blenheim. Vanbrugh had wanted

an obelisk to mark the site of the former royal manor, and the trysts of Henry II which had taken

place there, causing the 1st Duchess to remark, "If there were obelisks to bee made of all what

our Kings have done of that sort, the countrey would bee stuffed with very odd things" (sic). The

obelisk was never realised.

The Column of Victory in the Palace grounds

The cascade where the water flows out of the Great Lake

Page 2: Blenhiem Palace Park and Garden

Following the 1st Duke's death the Duchess concentrated most of her considerable energies on

the completion of the palace itself, and the park remained relatively unchanged until the arrival of

Capability Brown in 1764. The 4th Duke employed Brown who immediately began an English

landscape garden scheme to naturalise and enhance the landscape, with tree planting, and man-

made undulations. However, the feature with which he is forever associated is the lake, a huge

stretch of water created by damming the River Glyme and ornamented by a series

of cascades where the river flows in and out. The lake was narrowed at the point of Vanbrugh's

grand bridge, but the three small canal-like streams trickling underneath it were completely

absorbed by one river-like stretch. Brown's great achievement at this point was to actually flood

and submerge beneath the water level the lower stories and rooms of the bridge itself, thus

reducing its incongruous height and achieving what is regarded by many as the epitome of an

English landscape. Brown also grassed over the great parterre and the Great Court. The latter

was re-paved by Duchene in the early 20th century. The 5th Duke was responsible for several

other garden follies and novelties such as the swivelling boulder, which would suddenly roll

across a path, to supposedly thrill the walker.

Sir William Chambers, assisted by John Yenn, was responsible for the small summerhouse

known as "The Temple of Diana" down by the lake, where in 1908 Winston Churchill proposed to

his future wife. However, the ornamental gardens seen today close to the palace, the Italian and

water gardens, are entirely the design of Duchene and the 9th Duke.

Walled gardens[edit]

Page 3: Blenhiem Palace Park and Garden

A pasture in Croome Park.

Ann, the wife of the 2nd Earl, was a friend of the poet and avant-garde gardener William

Shenstone, and they developed the first garden at Croome. It was around this time that the first

kitchen garden was laid out. It would later be encased in walls and possibly by Gilbert, 4th Earl,

who is known to have made large changes to both the house and the garden. The earliest plan

for a walled garden dates from about 1750, when George William Coventry, the heir of the 5th

Earl, changed the shape of the walls from square to the rhomboid shape that exists today. This

created a garden of over 7 acres (2.8 ha), which may have made it the largest 18th-century

walled garden in Europe. The increase in size allowed the walls to encompass the new

greenhouse on the eastern side of the garden. The date that the walls were finished is uncertain,

but there is evidence that they must have been completed by 1752.[11]

Over the decades, the shape of the gardens has transformed from a traditional square to the

unique rhomboid shape revealing over seven acres of garden which still stand today.

Unlike the grange and the park, the walled garden was largely unchanged by Capability Brown,

but it did receive new hot houses. In 1766 a stone-curbed pool for which Robert Adam designed

a sundial. In the early 1800s a 13 feet (4.0 m) east/west hot wall, serviced by five furnaces, was

built. It is historically significant because it is one of the first ones ever built.[11]

Page 4: Blenhiem Palace Park and Garden

During the 20th century the garden was abandoned, and fell into disrepair.[11] Restoration work on

the walled gardens began in 2000; they are gradually being restored.[12] The restoration work

revealed a number of hidden gems to the owners, Chris and Karen Cronin...

The Glass Houses: Over the last three centuries the garden has had a number of garden

houses, forcing pits and framed structures recorded in Croome's archives. The garden was also

featured in Gardening World dating back to 1887, which are still available to this day.

Today, The Walled Gardens showcases the fully restored melon and cucumber house and the

peach and fig house, alongside the converted vinery house. The foundations still remain from the

original tomato house, forcing beds, pineapple pits, and orchard house all which will be restored

in years to come.

After three years of dedicated restoration the melon and cucumber house now channels the rain

water from its roof into a large storage tank under the terrace which is then pumped inside

through a network of pipes to water an array of produce from vines to bananas, fully supporting

the owners' ethos of sustainable and eco-friendly living.

The mechanical inventions of the 18th century have been put to their test in the peach and fig

house, with the creation of bespoke steel winding mechanisms to open and close groups of sash

and hinging panels, mimicking the old brass rollers now replaced with oil impregnated nylon in

stainless steel housings.

The Dipping Pond: Commissioned by the famous Capability Brown and constructed in 1764,

The Dipping Pond is one of the gardens most significant features listed in the Croome Archives.

It acquired its name from the function of dipping buckets to collect water to distribute around the

garden, and for the nearby horse stable block. As a crucially significant element of the gardens

history, The Dipping Pond has undergone extensive restoration. It has been completely rebuilt

with the addition of a new pressurised water system that has been linked up to a redundant well

nearby, creating a pumping station for watering the future vegetable beds within the gardens.

As a by-product of capturing pure rain water, the Dipping Pond has become a new haven for

various forms of wildlife, with some rare species of frogs and newts being spotted.

The Hot Wall: A key phase in English garden history between the late 1700s and early 1800s

saw the introduction of hot walls and heated cavity walls. This became extinct by 1845 due to the

abolishment of a glass tax and emerging technology in hot houses.

The hot wall at The Walled Gardens, constructed in 1806, is the largest of its kind, stretching

nearly 100 metres in length and 3 metres in height. Much like the later Glass Houses and forcing

beds, the purpose of creating a non-indigenous climate within the gardens, to propagate and

extend the growing seasons for fruits and vegetables. The orientation to the wall is sympathetic

to the rise and fall of the Sun, not simply east to west, but to maximise heat and light against its

southern face.

However, sun was not the sole source for the heat of this wall; during the restoration five

underground furnaces were discovered that spread along the northern face of the wall. The

Page 5: Blenhiem Palace Park and Garden

furnaces were all backfilled with cobble stones, which now make up the beautifully cobbled

garden paths.

The east- and south-facing borders: Both borders have unique attributes serving very different

purposes. The east-facing border boasts 150 m of length and features a curved inline to the

northern end of the wall as it adjoins to the Head Gardeners Cottage. This border is significant in

many respects because of its orientation to both the Sun and its immediate environment.

Currently this border houses an eclectic mixture of hardy shrubs and delicate flowers with

Morello cherries, plums and heritage roses fighting for superiority against the wall.

The south-facing border extends from the end of the old Vinery to the north eastern corner of the

gardens. Traditionally this wall is mainly used for growing exotic fruits, including peaches,

nectarines, apricots and pears. In 2007 it was extended to border out its full depth, unlike the

east-facing border a mixture of flowers and vegetables are grown here. Curiously, the leafy

plants that grow against the wall, known as Echium, are native to North Africa and are only

known to grow on the extreme south-west tip of Cornwall and nowhere else in the UK.

The Woodland: This is the real secret garden ... after discovering this was formerly the estate's

dumping ground, significant history has been pieced together from the materials recovered from

the woodland. Several archaeological digs have been conducted revealing 200 years' worth of

bottles, porcelain, masonry and iron artefacts stacked on top of each other.

For more information visit www.croomewalledgardens.com

Park[edit]

Croome Court in 2006. Viewed from the far side of the ornamental lake.

Croome lake in 2012, showing a footbridge and the islands.

Page 6: Blenhiem Palace Park and Garden

Croome Park has a man made lake and river, statues, temples and other buildings with the Court

as the central focus. The other buildings around the park include Gatehouses, a Grotto, a Church

and buildings termed "eye-catchers". These are Pirton Tower, Panorama Tower, Dunstall Castle

and Park Seat. They are set away from the core of the Park and are intended to draw the eye

into the wider landscape.[citation needed] Croome and Hagley Hall have more follies and other similar

features than any estate in the England.[13]

The National Trust own and have restored the core of the original 18th century parkland and it is

open to visitors throughout the of the year. To visit many of the features below, you have to enter

the pay for entry National Trust parkland. Some areas, however, are accessible via public

footpaths.

St Mary Magdalene Church: This Grade I listed building was built in 1763 by Capability Brown

for the Earl of Coventry. A medieval church nearer the Court was demolished to make way for

this church, the interior of which was designed by Robert Adam.

The Rotunda: A domed and circular building close to Croome Court. The building was

purchased together with Croome Court by the Croome Heritage Trust in 2007 and the exterior

has been restored in 2010 by the National Trust after being left in a state of neglect for decades.

It sits on a ridge to the east of Croome Court in the Home Shrubbery and is shrouded in trees,

including 200 year old Cedar of Lebanon. Described as a 'garden room',[14] it was designed by

Brown and built between 1754-7. The door and windows are pedimented and inside there's a

coffered ceiling and stuccowork by Francesco Vassalli in 1761.[14] The Portland stone panels

above the windows and door are Robert Adam's design and were carved by Sefferin Alker and

added in 1763.[15] The interior has been made stable by the National Trust and work will be

continued to restore its interior completely in the future. It is Grade I listed [16] and the National

Trust hopes to open the building to the public in the future once restoration is complete.

The Park Seat: Also known as The Owl's Nest. Built in 1770-2 by Adam. It is situated as a

lookout over the park.

The London Arch: The main entrance to the house. This once had railings either side.

Temple Greenhouse: This Grade I listed building was also designed by Robert Adam,

completed in 1763. It used to have large sash windows in the front of it, now only the grooves

where they used to slide can be seen. It housed the Earl's collection of exotic plants and was

heated in the winter by a fire lit in a brick bothy at the back, then the heat was channeled

underneath through gaps in the floor.

Around the Lake: The grotto and various features were designed by Capability Brown. 50,000

cubic metres of silt and vegetation were removed when restoring the lake. Nearby are the Punch

Bowl gates designed by Wyatt in 1793 to 1794. On one of the islands in the lake is the temple

pavilion (1776-7).

Island Pavilion: Grade I listed building

London Lodge: Grade I listed building

Page 7: Blenhiem Palace Park and Garden

The Worcester Lodge: A gate house probably built to the designs of Wyatt,[17] in 1801 and

subsequently rebuilt in 1879. This sat on the main road to Croome from Worcester. A carriage

drive used to run from the lodge directly to the Punch Bowl Gates in the Park itself and onto the

Court beyond. The driveway no longer exists and the lodge is now cut off from the rest of the

Park by the construction M5 motorway. Today, the lodge is a private residence and not part of

the National Trust owned Park.[citation needed] It is a Grade II building.[17] Further down the road on the

same side of the M5 is the keeper's house of the menagerie.

Periphery[edit]

Panorama Tower

Pirton Tower

Dunstall Castle

In 2009 after successfully receiving a grant of £284,000 from Natural England,[18] the National

Trust acquired and has restored the eye-catchers of the 18th century parkland. They are not at

the core of the parkland and they lie close to public footpaths. During 2013 the Panorama Tower

and Dunstall Castle were opened for visitors on some days. Check the National Trust web site

for days when they will be open during 2014.

The Panorama Tower:. Another domed and circular folly situated on Knight's Hill at the very

edge of the park. This is one of the "eye-catchers" designed to draw the eye into the wider

Page 8: Blenhiem Palace Park and Garden

landscape and was acquired by the National Trust in 2009 and has been restored by the charity

in 2010. The building had been in deterioration for decades. The building was constructed by

James Wyatt using design ideas by Robert Adam.[19] It is a circular 2 storey building with a central

interior staircase leading up to a viewing platform under a domed roof where there are views

across Worcestershire to the Malverns. The building was not completed until after the 6th Earl of

Coventry's death, probably in 1812.[19] The Panorama Tower is a prominent feature from the M5

motorway[18] which cuts through the park and the Tower is now separated from the rest of the

park and Court, like the Worcester Lodge. It is a Grade I listed building.

Pirton Tower: A sham castle situated on Rabbit Bank which is a prominent ridge in the

landscape at Pirton to the north of the park and Court. This is one of the "eye-catchers" designed

to draw the eye into the wider landscape which was acquired by the National Trust in 2009 and

has been restored by the charity in the same year.[20] The building had been in deterioration for

decades and covered in ivy. The building was designed by James Wyatt and built by William

Stephens in 1797 as a ruin.[21] The building was constructed among a row of Cedar of Lebanon

trees, many of which still stand today along the ridge.[citation needed] It is a Grade I listed building.[22] and

Pirton Tower is a feature from the M5 motorway northbound which cuts through the park.

Dunstall Castle: Designed by Robert Adam, this eyecatcher folly,[23] built around 1766, is cut off

from the park as it is hidden by trees from within the park. The stones from the tops of the 3

towers have fallen off so that now about a metre is missing from the central tower. The right arch

also had a wall at the bottom which has disappeared if compared with original pictures of the

castle, however, some restoration has now taken place.

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Page 10: Blenhiem Palace Park and Garden