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This site is designated as being of national importance and is afforded additional protection. Consult West Berkshire Council's Archaeology team if more information or advice is needed.

Summary

Registered Garden around the Elizabethan Shaw House, with earthwork remains, historic planting and wider landscaping along the river Lambourn but many modern land uses including educational facilities

Associated Legal Designations or Protected Status

• Registered Park or Garden (II) 1001446: Shaw House
• Conservation Area: Shaw House and St Mary's Church, Shaw
• Conservation Area: Shaw Road and Crescent

Other Statuses and Cross-References

• Heritage At Risk 2023 (Trend: Stable): Gen unsatisf, maj local probs Vulnerability: Low
  Owner Type: Local authority, multiple owners

Monument Type(s):

• LANDSCAPE PARK (Elizabethan to Late 19th century - 1581 AD to 1900 AD)
• ORNAMENTAL GARDEN (Elizabethan to Late 19th century - 1581 AD to 1900 AD)
• WOOD (Second World War to Early 21st century - 1939 AD? to 2050 AD)
• PLAYING FIELD (Second World War to Early 21st century - 1944 AD to 2050 AD)
• PUBLIC PARK (Second World War to Early 21st century - 1944 AD? to 2050 AD)

Full Description

There is a Registered Garden named Shaw House, covering a large area around the Elizabethan mansion of Shaw House and St Mary's Church, but including features from later periods such as the site of 18th century water features as well as channels of the river Lambourn. In the mid to late 20th century much change to the landscape resulted from the use of Shaw House as a school, and the subsequent construction of new buildings and educational facilities for it and the new separate Trinity School. The designated area is in multiple ownership. It was on the Heritage at Risk Register in 2014.

The earliest depiction of the garden attached to Shaw House dates to around 1730 in the map of Speen Manor <01>. The map shows the house surrounded on three sides by formal gardens, with stabling and other outbuildings at the west. Each garden contains a geometric design of paths, in most instances linked to a central circle. The formality of the gardens around the house extended to the wider landscape with tree-planting in the park beyond the buildings on its west side and a vista across the fields to the east. To the south more avenues and lines of trees ran down to the River Lambourn, where two parallel narrow canals were arranged at right-angles to the opposite bank <10>. A later plan of Shaw House and gardens c 1750 was produced by Joseph Andrews <02>. The Speen Enclosure map of 1780 <> marks the avenue leading to Shaw House from the London Road, though not the gate lodge.

In 2003, much work was carried out surveying and re-interpreting the house and gardens, including the wider landscape <13-16>. The surveyed areas of the garden were divided into several areas of very different character: the forecourt in front of Shaw House (G/1); the Great Garden to the east of the house (G/2); the North Garden (G/3); the former Kitchen Garden to the north and east of the raised terrace (G/4); the area to the west of the house (G/5); the area between the forecourt and the River Lambourn (G/6) and the area to the south of the River Lambourn which is a public open space (G/7). This survey work did not include further zones within the Registered Garden area in different ownership, particularly land to the south of the river and west of Shaw Mill which is largely wooded in the early 21st century; the church and church yard; and the school grounds of Trinity School stretching west to the dual carriageway (A339, formerly A34) and north to Love Lane.

Monitoring of the removal of the gravel area in front of the house in 2015/2016 identified two brick features, possibly garden walls dating from the 18th century <23>.

A watching brief conducted as part of the groundworks for the kitchen garden area on the northern edge of the park uncovered part of a linear ditch. Building material from the fill may indicate that this was a post-medieval feature which might have related to temporary Civil War defences conducted in relation to the Second Battle of Newbury <24>.

Sources and further reading

Related Monuments

Associated Excavations and Fieldwork

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