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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
The cascade where the water flows out of the Great Lake
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]
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]
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
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.
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
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
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.