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Summary

Brick wall within the curtilage of Shaw House, along the Love Lane boundary of the kitchen gardens, possibly dating from 1700 or earlier but with later alterations

Associated Legal Designations or Protected Status

• Conservation Area: Shaw House and St Mary's Church, Shaw

Monument Type(s):

• BOUNDARY WALL (17th century to Late 19th century - 1670 AD? to 1900 AD)
• GARDEN WALL (17th century to Second World War - 1670 AD? to 1940 AD)

Full Description

Historical maps <1> indicate that there was a brick perimeter wall enclosing the formal gardens at Shaw House, probably from at least the time of Thomas Dolman III, the owner from 1666-97. The northern wall formed the boundary with Love Lane. The First Edition Ordnance Survey mapping <2> shows two joined buildings of different depths, constructed against this boundary wall, and it is likely that the northern strip of the gardens between the raised terrace and the wall was used as a kitchen garden. Following the requisition of Shaw House as a school during the Second World War, educational buildings and facilities were constructed in the gardens, and the 5th Epoch OS <3> shows a swimming pool and large building (a gymnasium) built in the north part of the kitchen garden.

A survey of the garden's standing structures in 2003 <4> describes the north boundary wall: it is in Flemish bond with much finer bricks than those seen in the west boundary wall of the North Garden. The bricks of the north wall are darker with burnt headers. The top of the wall is level but as Love Lane drops down towards the west, the wall is over 3m in height at its tallest, with coping courses in addition. At the east end, the 19th century garden bothy is built against Love Lane and replaces the wall in this section. It is suggested that the rest of the wall is of late 17th century date <5>, although other sources imply that the wall existed at the time of the Second Battle of Newbury in 1643 and formed an important defensive line for the Royalists at Shaw House <6>.

A historic building survey by Cotswold Archaeology concluded that the Love Lane wall dates to the mid-late 17th century. It is of one build with repairs to the coping and the addition of (ineffective) buttresses against a section of leaning wall at the east end. A 19th-century shed (the “bothy”) has been built at the east end, leading to the removal of the end section of the wall <7>.

Sources and further reading

Related Monuments

Associated Excavations and Fieldwork

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