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HER Number | MWB15684 |
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Record Type | Monument |
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Name | Shaw House - Canal |
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Summary
Site of an 18th century ornamental canal and cascade originally opposite the south front of Shaw House but largely filled in during the later 20th century
Associated Legal Designations or Protected Status
- Conservation Area: Shaw House and St Mary's Church, Shaw
- Registered Park or Garden (II) 1001446: Shaw House
Other Statuses and Cross-References
- Berkshire SMR No. (pre 2000): 03467.04.000
Monument Type(s):
Full Description
An Ornamental Canal and cascade lay opposite the south front of Shaw House. The canal was first recorded on a 1730 map of the manor and was partially levelled during the construction of the A34 in the 1970s <1>.
The 1730 map of Speen Manor <2> shows two parallel narrow canals laid out at right angles to the south bank of the River Lambourn opposite the south front of the house. In 1733 John Hore, the local canal engineer, was employed by Lord Chandos to enlarge the canals to form a single broad canal with a new wide semi-circular basin scooped out of the north bank of the River with a cascade and complemented by formal tree planting <3>. The semi circular basin and aligned rectangular canal can be seen on the Ordnance Survey Drawing <4> and early Ordnance Survey mapping. On the First Edition Ordnance Survey map <5> the canal is marked as a fishpond.
These features largely survived until the construction of the adjacent A34 dual carriageway in the 1970s, when the southern end of the canal was filled and levelled <6>. The northern end survives as a slight depression and the cascade can be discerned in the adjacent river bank.
Sources and further reading
<01> | Rhodes, J, et al. 1998-2000. Shaw House, Newbury - Conservation Plan. 2021 WBC Network. p45-6. [Unpublished document / SWB12702] |
<02> | Commissioned by the Duke of Chandos. 1729/30. Map of Speen Manor. [Map / SWB12939] |
<03> | Andrews, J. c1750. Note book of Joseph Andrews - Plans of Shaw House and Gardens. [Unpublished document / SWB13279] |
<04> | Ordnance Survey. 1808. Ordnance Survey Drawing of East Ilsley; BL OSD 158, 2. Two inch to the mile. [Map / SWB147329] https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ordnance_Survey_Drawings_-_East_Ilsley_(OSD_158).jpg (Accessed on 23/06/2022) |
<05> | Landmark. 1872-85. Digital Ordnance Survey Mapping Epoch 1, 1:2500 (25 inch). Digital. 1:2500. [Map / SWB14341] |
<06> | Ordnance Survey. 1962-1981. Ordnance Survey Epoch 5, 1:2500. 1:2500. [Map / SWB14665] |
<07> | Historic England (previously English Heritage). 1987. Register of Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England. Shaw House. [Unpublished document / SWB12616] |
<08> | Latham, S. 2003. Shaw House, Newbury, Berkshire - The Gardens: Historical Analysis and Survey Report. p22-4. [Unpublished document / SWB14268] |
<09> | Latham, S. 2003. Shaw House, Newbury, Berkshire - The Gardens: Historical Analysis and Survey Report. Illustrations. Illusts 2, 18. [Unpublished document / SWB14269] |
<10> | LUC and Keevil Heritage Ltd. 2020. Shaw House and Church Conservation Area Management Plan. 2021 WBC Network. [Unpublished document / SWB149924] https://www.westberkshireheritage.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Shaw-House-Conservation-Area-Management-Plan-Mar-2020.pdf (Accessed 09/06/2021) |
<11> | Newbury District Field Club. 1998. TRANS NEWBURY DISTRICT FIELD CLUB 1998 VOL 14 NO 2/3. p69-75 The Survival of Historic Garden Features at Shaw House by Chris Currie. [Article in serial / SWB12918] |
Related Monuments
MWB22803 | Bank of the River Lambourn, Shaw Park (Monument) |
MWB15774 | Shaw House (Park) (Landscape) |
MWB20918 | Bridge over River Lambourn, Shaw House park (Monument) |
MWB21243 | Site of boat house on River Lambourn, Shaw House park (Monument) |
Associated Excavations and Fieldwork
EWB740 | An Archaeological Investigation of Shaw House & Gardens, Shaw-cum-Donnington, Berkshire 2003 |
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