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Summary

Landscaped park associated with the 18th century predecessor of Arlington House.

Location

Protected Status

• Registered Park or Garden (II*) 1000687: ARLINGTON COURT
• SHINE: Earthworks, including building platforms/terraces and below-ground archaeological remains on site of former Manor at Arlington Court

Other References/Statuses

• SHINE Candidate (Yes)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• PARK (XVIII to XIX - 1790 AD to 1820 AD (Between))

Full description

Lovie, J., 2009, Arlington Court, Devon: Conservation Statement Prepared by Johnathan Lovie for the National Trust, 14; Fig 4 (Report - non-specific). SDV352139.

The development of the landscape associated with the house built for Colonel Chichester from 1790 can be traced by examination of the Ordnance Survey Surveyor’s Drawing (1804-5) , William Mudge’s 1 inch Map of Devon (1809), a series of three paintings of the house made by Maria Pixell circa 1797, a report of 1792 on the formation of a pond and plans of proposed pineapple pits dated 1814.
The two maps are drawn at too small a scale to show much detail. However, it is possible to deduce that this new house stood to the south of the church, on the site of the building which it replaced.
The Ordnance Survey drawing appears to indicate that the group of gardens south of the old house had been removed, and that by 1804-5 areas of parkland had been formed in Great Gratton and to the west of the Wilderness valley. The southern approach appears to have been re-routed to pass through the valley, rather than to the east of it as in 1776. This evidence is broadly confirmed by Mudge, whose map also indicates that the valley was wooded. The south drive is shown sweeping eastwards some distance south of the house, presumably forming the boundary between the pleasure grounds around the house and the newly emparked land to the south. This drive presumably led to new stables east of the new house (as indicated on the 1842 Tithe Map); these stables would have replaced an earlier structure, probably to the south-west of the old garden enclosures.
Pixell’s paintings of the new house circa 1797 show the south facade of the building from the south, south-east and south-west. The views appear to be drawn at differing distances from the house, and distortions in the perspective make precise locations for each vantage point problematic. However, certain general conclusions can be drawn from the paintings, which broadly support the evidence derived from the two map sources. Great Gratton appears to have been laid out as parkland, with some mature trees and newer specimens including a group of conifers south-east of the house. A block of trees east of the house probably corresponds to the Southern Grove Wood (1776). Relatively young tree planting is suggested towards the head of the Wilderness valley, perhaps indicating that it had recently been planted up; and around the house itself areas of lawn are indicated with a gravel drive apparently approaching from the south-west.
Hodgkinson's 1792 report describes proposals to raise the height of an existing dam retaining a pond in order to create a larger expanse of water . While the location of the pond is not stated in the report, it is clear that the document refers to a scheme for creating a single piece of water from the two ponds shown in Horner Orchard (northern end of the Wilderness Valley) in 1776. Hodgkinson is explicit that the purpose of this scheme is aesthetic.
While the plans of the pineapple pits appear to relate to the structure which survives north of the kitchen garden, it is not clear whether the pits were built when the plan was submitted in 1814, or at a later date. The area now occupied by the walled gardens and the pineapple pits is not delineated as garden on either the Ordnance Survey drawing (1804-5) or Mudge (1809); instead, this area appears to form part of a larger enclosure, the western part of which survives at Town Meadow. The first map evidence for the walled gardens and pineapple pits is not found until the 1842 Tithe Map; however, it would not be unreasonable to suppose that new productive gardens and flower gardens were required following the removal of the old garden enclosures south of the house (1776).
The map evidence and Pixell’s paintings allow certain general conclusions to be drawn as to the character of the landscape developed by Colonel Chichester to accompany the 1790 house. This was essentially a picturesque landscape, designed to capitalise on the natural beauty of the situation of Arlington by creating designed, framed views from the house and pleasure grounds across the valleys to Woolley Wood (south-west) and Deerpark Wood (south). The newly emparked land south and south-west of the house formed the foreground to these views, with the pleasure grounds adjacent to the house serving as a sort of viewing platform. It would have been important to avoid overt displays of horticultural skill in locations around the house where bright colours might distract the observer from the intended objects in the wider landscape. Thus, in keeping with a tradition which had developed during the late 18th century at sites such as Nuneham Courteney, Oxfordshire, the flower garden at Arlington was located to the north-west of the house, to be ‘discovered’ as an carefully planned ‘incident’ as a visitor explored the pleasure grounds.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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