The West Berkshire Historic Environment Record (HER) is the primary index of the physical remains of past human activity in the unitary authority of West Berkshire Council. Limited elements of the West Berkshire HER are available online via the Heritage Gateway, therefore it is not suitable for use in desk-based studies associated with development, planning and land-use changes, and does not meet the requirements of paragraph 194 of the National Planning Policy Framework (2021: 56). Please read the important guidance on the use of the West Berkshire HER data. For these purposes and all other commercial enquiries, please contact the Archaeology team and complete our online HER enquiry form.

Summary

Unregistered designed landscape around the Grade I listed mansion, including the site of the former church, an enlarged fish pond and possibly a hunting park as well as 19th to 21st century planting

Monument Type(s):

• LANDSCAPE PARK (18th century to Early 21st century - 1701 AD? to 2050 AD)

Full Description

The Grade I listed West Woodhay House sits within a designed landscape although this has received little attention as a historic park. However the gardens, which appear to have been largely created or re-established since the later 20th century, are occasionally open to the public and are highly regarded as examples of successful planting in different themes round a country house.

The oldest documentary source for the wider parkland appears to be Rocque's 1761 map of Berkshire <1> where an area of grassland and trees is drawn within a dark line at West Woodhay, though not named as a park. This curving rhomboid shaped enclosure included the site of the first two churches of St Lawrence (14th century and a 1717 replacement) and a rectangular fishpond; however the boundary appears to have drawn between the church and the main house. To the north of the house Rocque depicts a straight sided yard which probably represents Great Farm, and a round pond which was fed from the fish pond and itself connected to another pond further northwest. Also outside the defined area of parkland was the double avenue of trees running south-easterly from the house towards 'Westwood Hay Green' <1>.

The presence of a small motte or hunting lodge 200m to the east of the fishpond, with 12th to 14th century pottery finds, suggests there might have been a medieval deer park in the area. Sewal de Osevile held West Woodhay in the early 13th century.

An estate map of 1831 <2> indicates the grounds of the estate had been further developed, with a rectangular walled garden to the northeast of the house and farm; possibly older fixtures were re-used at the entrance, as the Grade II listed wrought iron gate and gate piers are described as 18th century. There were still two ponds in 1831, named as Fish Pond and Upper Pond, though the avenue of trees running between them was no longer used as an approach to the house, another road having been created across the alignment. A subdivision of the garden to south of the house was named 'The Lawn', with 'The Plain' south of this. The east side of the Fish Pond was named Lower Park, and Upper Park on higher ground leading up to the Hampshire Downs appears to equate to the southernmost part of Rocque's rhomboid. Upper Park has an earthwork boundary on most sides. There is a small square pond within it, and an area of woodland named 'Belvidere'. At the western side is a house and outbuildings <2>.

The mid 19th century West Woodhay Tithe map <3> shows a similar arrangement and sub-division of the grounds of West Woodhay House. On the First Edition Ordnance Survey mapping <4> the Fish Pond and Upper Pond had been combined into one large body of water, and by the time of the 1899 Second Epoch OS map <5> the parish church had been relocated over 500m away, outside the garden. The site of the graveyard and previous churches has remained identifiable. The house near Upper Park is named on OS mapping as Park House. The walled garden was enlarged in the late 19th century and a reservoir and pump house constructed nearby <5>.

The Henderson family has owned West Woodhay House since 1920, and in the 21st century many new planting schemes have been added, including a Jubilee garden, an Italian garden around the foundations of the old church, refashioning of the walled garden and an arboretum. The double avenue of trees has been reinstated as far as the intersecting road <6><7>.

Historic evidence collated for a planning application on Park House included several map extracts for the park <8><9>.

The GIS polygon includes parcels identified under the Historic Landscape Characterisation project as current or former designed landscape, as well as areas shown or named as part of a park on historic maps.

Sources and further reading

Related Monuments

Associated Excavations and Fieldwork

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.