| Summary : Landscape park, formal gardens and pleasure grounds to Rockingham Castle. The park was originally a deer park, documented in 1256, enlarged in 1485 and 1638. The original park pale has been traced and comprises a bank 2 metres high and 4 metres wide with an interior ditch 2 metres wide. The main phase of park landscaping is thought to have taken place in 1824. The present garden layout probably incorporates garden features which date to the late 17th century, altered during the early 19th century, with further planting schemes laid out during the early 20th century. The planting schemes include designs by John Codrington circa 1914. The park was landscaped in the 18th century and contains gardens which date from the 16th century, and were altered in 17th and 19th century. The gardens are are situated within the baileys of the castle and include terraced lawns, a 19th century circular rose garden and a wild garden established in the 1840s. |
More information : Deer park (centred SP 861905) occupies a large area of land southwest of Rockingham Castle and extending into Cottingham parish. It is situated in a natural ampitheatre on the very broken edge of the Jurassic escarpment between 68 metres and 130 metres above OD, and has several springs within it.
A park certainly existed in 1256, but it was probably small,
covering little more than 13 hectares on either side of the boundary with Cottingham. Its original pale survives on the southwest side as a bank 2 metres high and 4 metres wide with a shallow internal ditch, 2 metres across. On the south side the steep north-facing slope probably obviated the need for an earthen bank. On the flatter ground to the southeast the bank reappears, 0.5 metres high and 5 metres wide and continues north and northwest up a steep slope as a terrace 2 metres wide. The northwest side has no surviving boundary, but followed the crest of a ridge at this point. This early park was enlarged to the east and south in 1485 to cover some 108 hectares, mainly in Cottingham. The boundaries of the new park are marked on a map of 1615 (in Rockingham Castle Archives) but are difficult to trace on the ground, perhaps because they were never very substantial. Some slight ditches and low banks are all that have been noted. The park was further enlarged to the west in 1638. (1)
The park was landscaped in the 18th century and contains gardens which date from the 16th century, and were altered in 17th and 19th century. The gardens are are situated within the baileys of the castle and include terraced lawns, a 19th century circular rose garden and a wild garden established in the 1840s. (2)
Landscape park, formal gardens and pleasure grounds to Rockingham Castle. The present garden layout probably incorporates garden features which date to the late 17th century and altered during the early 19th century. Further planting schemes were laid out during the early 20th century and include a design by John Codrington circa 1914. The main phase of park landscaping is thought to have taken place in 1824. (3) |