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Summary

An early 19th century woodland garden and pleasure ground associated with the Veitch family, with an early 20th century terrace designed by William Robinson adjacent to the house, set within wider parkland which developed from the late 17th century.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1170597: RUINS OF GATEHOUSE 130 METRES WEST OF COLUMBJOHN FARMHOUSE
• Listed Building (II) 1170665: FORMER STABLE BLOCK 260 METRES EAST OF KILLERTON HOUSE
• Listed Building (II*) 1170706: THE BEAR'S HUT 220 METRES NORTH NORTH WEST OF KILLERTON HOUSE
• Registered Park or Garden (II*) 1000694: KILLERTON HOUSE
• Scheduled Monument 1017193: Sections of two deer park pales and a deer park pond at Killerton Park
• Listed Building (II) 1170668: GATEPIERS AND GATES ADJACENT TO PARK LODGE AT ENTRANCE TO KILLERTON HOUSE
• Scheduled Monument 1017192: Dolbury hillfort, 320m north of Killerton House
• Listed Building (II) 1098327: COLUMBJOHN CHAPEL AND CHURCHYARD WALL
• Listed Building (II) 1333625: ACLAND MEMORIAL CROSS 240 METRES NORTH WEST OF KILLERTON HOUSE
• Listed Building (II) 1170685: WALLS AND GATEPIERS 50 METRES NORTH EAST OF KILLERTON CHAPEL
• Listed Building (II*) 1098331: KILLERTON HOUSE AND HA HA APPROXIMATELY 20 METRES IN FRONT OF ENTRANCE
• Listed Building (II) 1333661: STILE AND GATEPOST AT SX961999 200 METRES NORTH OF COLUMBJOHN FARMHOUSE
• Listed Building (II) 1333624: PARK LODGE
• Listed Building (I) 1098332: CHAPEL OF THE HOLY EVANGELISTS

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS90SE/34/14
• Old Registered Parks and Gardens Ref (II*)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• LANDSCAPE PARK (XVIII to XXI - 1701 AD to 2009 AD)

Full description

National Trust, 2000, Killerton Estate Archaeological Survey. Part 1. The Park and Garden, 22 (Report - Survey). SDV341106.

The walled garden to the north east of the farm buildings has brick walls on a stone foundation. The doorways have slightly curved brick arches and there is a central fountain. The late 18th century nursery garden adjoins the north side of the walled garden and has a brick built fountain. The wooden building set along the high wall of the nursery was the fruit store and was thatched until 1963. The stone building with brick quoins and jambs has a brick front and six first floor windows. The group of 19th century glasshouses is shown on the Ordnance Survey (1889) map of which half of one remains at SS97760015. A stone and slate garden building to the east of the walled garden at SS977800020 was erected before the 1842 Tithe Map.

English Heritage, 2003, Killerton (Register of Parks and Gardens in England). SDV341138.

English Heritage, 2011, Heritage at Risk Register 2011: South West, 89 (Report - non-specific). SDV355280.

Sections of two deer park pales and a deer park pond at Killerton Park. Generally unsatisfactory with major localised problems. Declining. Principal vulnerablity collapse.

Greener, C., 2013, Garden Women in Devon, 11 (Article in Serial). SDV358469.

Historic England, 2015, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV358087.

An early C19 woodland garden and pleasure ground associated with the Veitch family, with an early C20 terrace designed by William Robinson adjacent to the house, set within wider parkland which developed from the late C17.
Sir Thomas Acland (1723-85) employed John Veitch (1752-1839) in 1770 to lay out a landscape park which was intended to form the setting for a new mansion. Veitch's park enclosed c 500 acres (c 208ha) around Dolbury Hill, the summit of which, Killerton Clump, was planted with beech to emphasise its height. The main Exeter to Cullompton road to the south-east of the House was moved east as part of the park improvement. John Johnson was commissioned to remodel the existing house as a temporary residence in mid 1778. The stables c 260m east of the House were built by Johnson in 1779-80, and the walled garden 50m north east was constructed c 1782. The 1801 OS Drawing shows parkland flowing round the House, together with significant areas of woodland planting on Dolbury Hill, including Mount Pleasant (later Mount Peel). The octagonal folly in Cross Parks to the west of the House survived in 1801, and this area appears to have been developed as parkland by the early C19. Veitch developed pleasure grounds from 1808 to the west and north-east of the House for Sir Thomas Acland and his wife, Lydia Hoare, on land enclosed from the late C18 park. Features included gravel walks, shrubberies and a grove of tulip trees near the House. A further area, known as Lady Acland's Shrubbery, was planted to the north-east of the House, which became the site for the Chapel designed by C R Cockerell in 1840-1. Plans attributed to William Sawrey Gilpin (1762-1843) for a new drive from Killerton to Columbjohn (1820) were not implemented. An orangery was built north-west of the House in 1808, and the appearance of the pleasure grounds and park was recorded in a series of pencil sketches, Fragments of Killerton by John Gendall (1831-2). Under the direction of John Veitch's son, James, the pleasure grounds and areas of the park including the Plain, c 650m north-north-east of the House, were planted with trees and shrubs newly introduced to cultivation by Veitch's expanded nursery which had relocated from Budlake to Exeter in 1832. Plant-hunting was continued in the early C20 by Sir Francis Acland, who sponsored expeditions by F Kingdon-Ward. See website for full details.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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