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Summary

Extensive park and gardens surrounding Bradfield House. Several elements of the formal gardens are visible as earthworks and cropmarks on aerial photographs taken from 1947 onwards.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1325845: WALROND MEMORIAL 4 METRES WEST OF ALL SAINTS
• Listed Building (II) 1325884: WALLED GARDEN INCLUDING WALLS AND FREESTANDING URNS IMMEDIATELY EAST OF BRADFIELD HOUSE
• Listed Building (II) 1306231: FORMER STABLE BLOCK 100 METRES WEST OF BRADFIELD PARK
• Listed Building (II) 1106509: ALL SAINTS CHAPEL, BRADFIELD

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: ST00NE/4/1

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• GARDEN (Post Medieval to XXI - 1540 AD to 2009 AD (Between))

Full description

Anon, 1904, Untitled Source (Article in Serial). SDV340646.

Ordnance Survey, 1906, 46SE (Cartographic). SDV57885.

Extent of parkland and gardens recorded on 1906 map. Continues into Kentisbeare Parish. The parkland has two formal avenues on the axis of the house. A long drive extends to West Lodge with a shorter drive to East Lodge. 'The Avenue' to the south continues into the parkland beyond. Woodland surrounds the park. There is an ice house in Icepit Copse, a Rookery and a small formal garden to the east of the house. There is a walled garden to the north and decaying 19th century topiary gardens to the east with urns.

Royal Air Force, 1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FP 2287-2288 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV356127.

The walled garden immediately to the east of the house is visible and includes six compartments separated by pathways. The rectangular formal garden to its south-east contains a pale structure, quatrefoil in plan, within a probable low kerbed enclosure with scalloped corners, and rows of topiary to the east and west. Any pattern to the planting in a rectangular garden to the east is obscured by tree cover. A level platform to the south of the walled garden borders part of the driveway. The pond to the north of the house is dry, with a central darker circular feature, probably a mound. The condition and survival of these features is outlined in their individual record descriptions.

Cherry, B. + Pevsner, N., 1989, The Buildings of England: Devon, 197-9 (Monograph). SDV325629.

Gray, T., 1995, The Garden History of Devon: An Illustrated Guide to Sources, 54-5 (Monograph). SDV671.

The walled garden including walls and urns and the former stable block are Listed ( Listing not specified).

Horner, B., 1998, Untitled Source (Personal Comment). SDV340647.

The park is largely taken up by arable land, the domestic curtelage of West Lodge and a fish farm.

Clark, J. + Richardson, D., 1999, Bradfield (Un-published). SDV357656.

Devon Gardens Trust, 1999, Devon Local Register, 17 (Un-published). SDV170167.

Parkland and gardens at Bradfield House including formal and Italianate gardens covering 44 acres.

Clark, J. + Richardson, D., 2013, Bradfield (Un-published). SDV356160.

The 1904 and 1906 Ordnance Survey maps show parkland with two formal avenues on the axis of the house; a long drive extends to West Lodge with a shorter drive to East Lodge but The Avenue continued into the parkland beyond. Woodland surrounds the park. There was an Old Icehouse in lcepit Copse, a rookery and a formal topiary garden to the east of the house and a formal lake to the north. Sadly almost all of the nineteenth century garden so wonderfully illustrated in Country Life disappeared whilst it was an educational institution for boys. Some of the urns on the walls of the former formal garden east of the house remain, though damaged; the cast iron decorative gate and gate piers remain but with only one urn finial, the formal lake remains but the formal hedge has gone. The south avenue of Cedars of Lebanon remains and some have been replanted but only three Wellingtonias (poor condition) remain of the avenue beyond South Lodge. Almost all of the old oaks forming the west avenue survive. Both South Lodge and West Lodge have been extended, considerably altering their character. The approach from the west went through the picturesque nineteenth century stables with 3 storey part with a bell turret and a clock in the gable, but the archway has been filled in. lcepit copse remains in farmland in adjoining ownership.
Map object based on this source.

Devon Gardens Trust, 2013, Devon Gazetteer of Parks and Gardens of Local Interest (Reg/Local list of Historic Parks and Gdns). SDV354335.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R., 2014-2015, East and Mid Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV356883.

Elements of the formal gardens, including platforms, parterres, pond, and probable quatrefoil fountain basin, are visible as earthworks and cropmarks on aerial photographs taken from 1947 onwards. They are described in more detail on separate records.

Ordnance Survey, 2015, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV357601.

Map object based on this source.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV170167	Un-published: Devon Gardens Trust. 1999. Devon Local Register. Devon Local Register of Parks and Gardens of Local Historic Interest. A4 Stapled + Digital. 17.
SDV325629	Monograph: Cherry, B. + Pevsner, N.. 1989. The Buildings of England: Devon. The Buildings of England: Devon. Hardback Volume. 197-9.
SDV340646	Article in Serial: Anon. 1904. Country Houses & Gardens Old & New. Unknown.
SDV340647	Personal Comment: Horner, B.. 1998.
SDV354335	Reg/Local list of Historic Parks and Gdns: Devon Gardens Trust. 2013. Devon Gazetteer of Parks and Gardens of Local Interest. Historic Parks and Gardens - Register and Local List. Digital.
SDV356127	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1947. RAF/CPE/UK/1974. Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). RAF/CPE/UK/1974 FP 2287-2288 11-APR-1947.
SDV356160	Un-published: Clark, J. + Richardson, D.. 2013. Bradfield. Devon Local Register of Parks and Gardens of Local Historic Interest. Digital.
SDV356883	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S. + Sims, R.. 2014-2015. East and Mid Devon River Catchments National Mapping Programme Project. AC Archaeology Report. Digital.
	Linked documents:1
SDV357601	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 2015. MasterMap. Ordnance Survey Digital Mapping. Digital.
SDV357656	Un-published: Clark, J. + Richardson, D.. 1999. Bradfield. Devon Register Review. A4 Stapled + Digital.
SDV57885	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1906. 46SE. Second Edition Ordnance Survey 6 inch Map. Map (Paper).
SDV671	Monograph: Gray, T.. 1995. The Garden History of Devon: An Illustrated Guide to Sources. The Garden History of Devon: An Illustrated Guide to Sources. Paperback Volume. 54-5.

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6530 - The East and Mid-Devon Rivers Catchment NMP project (Ref: ACD613)

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