Monument Type(s):

• WALLED GARDEN (16th century to 17th century - 1500 AD to 1699 AD)

Summary

This site represents: a walled garden of 16th to 17th century date.

Related records

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

• ESA4807 - 1988/1989 Survey of Walled Garden and Farm by CHAU
• ESA5590 - 1995 evaluation at Apley Castle by University of Bristol Archaeological Service (Ref: UBAS ACP 95A)
• ESA695 - 1989 building recording at Apley Castle by CHAU

Description

Some distance to the north of the stable block representing the remains of the C14-17 house at Apley Castle is a complex of disused farm buildings, built in old brick and dating mainly to the 18th and 19th centuries. They developed around a high brick garden wall. The bricks in the wall indicate a 17th century construction. One primary doorway survives, at the eastern end of the north wall, and this is similar to the early 17th century doorways in the house itself. The plan as known matches that of the somewhat later garden of Madeley Court. ->

-> This is a rare and important survival of an early 17th century walled garden and a full understanding of its development will be needed because of its obvious and direct relationship with the castle <1>

The walled garden was probably created at the same time the house was remodelled in the late 16th/ early 17th century. The original garden wall enclosed an area of some 2209 square metres: each side is approximately 47m (51 yards) long. The garden was aligned at an angle to the main house, but the significance of this is not known. All subsequent development on this site has reflected the rigid square shape of the original garden. By the start of the 19th century (perhaps earlier, but probably not) the garden had been converted to farm use, and was part of Apley Estate Farm (which had other buildings to the west). A new walled garden and nursery had been built to the west of the old Apley Castle [PRN 00696] at the end of the 18th century, presumably contemporary with the construction of the new Apley Castle [PRN 12881]. There certainly was a farm at Apley Castle in the 17th and earlier 18th centuries: a lease of 1741 mentions a dairy, barns, stables and malthouse. But none of the buildings in the garden area appear old enough to be associated with these. Moreover, the quality of the original coping stones and doorway surrounds suggests that this garden is likely to have combined pleasure and produce, producing a mixture of flowers and vegetables. ->

-> The converstion to farm use may have been gradual, and it seems that only the north western half was ever used intensively for agricultural purposes. A stone wall almost bisects the area from NW to SE. This is almost certainly later than the original garden and could even be 19th century. The western half became a foldyard, whilst the eastern half seems to have continued as a secondary kitchen garden even after the building of the new one to the south west [PRN 08470]. ->

-> The basically quadrangular form of the garden has remained a landscape feature for nearly 400 years. Apart from its intrinsic architectural value, it forms a historically important feature of the landscape, and is one of three key quadrangular elements in the later (18th/19th century) landscape at Apley, the others being the stable block in the old castle [PRN 00696] and the new nursery [PRN 08470] <2>

Probably contemporary with the remodelling of the main house in the late 16th/ early 17th century. The fabric and style is consistent with this date, although there is no direct documentary evidence. The first threshing barn was built within it in the mid 18th century and this may mark its conversion to agricultural use. By 1882, it had developed further, with a number of additional internal buildings, mainly greenhouses and cold frames. A trench cut within the walled garden as part of the evaluation found that any traces of garden archaeology had been removed in the area trenched by the area's later use as a farmyard. <3>

Photographs taken and submitted to the HER in 2012 of the walled garden and icehouse. <4>

<01> Morriss Richard K & Shoesmith Ron, 1989, Apley Castle, Shropshire: an interim report May 1989 (Field survey report). SSA2719.

<02> Morriss Richard K, 1990, Apley Castle, Wellington, Shropshire: the Walled Garden & Farm: a Preliminary Survey (Field survey report). SSA20819.

<03> Horton Mark C, 1995, Apley Castle Park: Archaeological Evaluation of Development Site (Archaeological fieldwork report). SSA2728.

<04> Anon, 2012, Photographs of Apley Park Walled Garden and Icehouse (Photograph). SSA28422.

Sources

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