| Summary : The remains of the 17th century and later gardens at Hylton Castle. The landscape around the surviving upstanding remains of Hylton Castle and chapel is of at least two phases, a 17th century garden, and a 19th century landscaped park. The remains of the 17th century gardens includes three terraces, and a canal water feature. The lower terrace, to the east of the chapel, overlies a stretch of medieval ridge and furrow cultivation, which is visible to the east of this terrace. A 1737 map of the Sunderland area uses as a vignette an elevation of Hylton Castle. This shows a knot garden on the upper terrace with a wall at its east end. The terraces would have been laid out to gardens and incorporated recreational facilities such as a bowling green recorded in the estate sale of 1750. The canal water feature is situated about 190 metres south of the gatetower and measures 70 metres long by 14 metres wide. In the 19th century the area around Hylton Castle was turned into a landscaped park. A vista from the gatetower to the west was created by an avenue between wooded areas and a walled garden was established to the north of this avenue. Scheduled. |