Record Details

NHER Number:33465
Type of record:Monument
Name:Vicarage Park

Summary

Vicarage Park was first laid out in 1678 and covered eight acres but by 1815 it had expanded several times and now was 100 acres. Seventy acres were planted as parkland with walks to the church and to the southwest. Tree belts were added in 1838 and the watercourse was straightened in 1844. Beech hedges were planted within a moated site (NHER 2856) within the park by 1889. Part of area is now built over, part a public open space and part private gardens.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TF 984 128
Map Sheet:TF91SE
Parish:DEREHAM, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK
SCARNING, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK

Full description

Vicarage Park.
(S1) lists as Grade Two Star with regional importance.
1678 curtilage of vicarage was eight acres extending into Scarning; this was not the same as the glebe lands. Former Rectory demolished 1695 and 1722 and materials used to repair the Vicarage. In 1706 a garden within the moat is mentioned with orchard to east. House extended 1750 and rebuilt 1807. The Vicar held 15 acres but by 1815 he held 100. 70 acres were planted as parkland with walks to the church and to the southwest. Tree belts planted 1838 and water course straightened 1844. House extended 1852. Beech hedges planted within moat by 1889. Part of area now built over, part a public open space, part private gardens.
See (S1).

In addition it was stated by [1] in a lecture that a vista existed crossing the entrance drive to give a view north to the church and south to the meadows; the latter survives but the view to the church is blocked by houses and leylandii.
E. Rose (NLA), 25 February 1998.

December 2008.
Verbal communication from [2] states that the current Rectory was once part of Vicarage park, and that the vicarage was used as a Red Cross hospital during the First World War. Trenches were dug in the grounds by patients to test their health. Some have been filled in and some are extant.
A large, shallow-sided ditch runs the length of the garden, a distance of approximately 70m, although much is obscured by a laurel hedge. It is truncated at its southern end by a modern pond, installed in the 1990s. The trench is 4-4.3m in width along its whole length, and corresponds to a boundary clearly marked on the 1st edition Ordnance survey map.
The garden was levelled in 1990 to form a croquet lawn, but five shallow depressions are still clearly visible in the lawn. All are 2 meters in width and are uniformly round. Their similarities in shape and size suggest they are probably contemporary. Three are located to the north of the garden, parallel to the large ditch, with a further two in the centre of the south lawn.
H. White (NLA), 3 February 2009

Monument Types

  • GARDEN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • PARK (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds - none

Protected Status

  • SHINE

Sources and further reading

<S1>Unpublished Document: Taigel, A. 1997. Norfolk Gardens Trust: Town Gardens Survey - Volume One. Norfolk Gardens Trust.

Related records

2856Related to: Probable medieval moated site (Monument)
46173Related to: The Vicarage, St Withburga Lane (Building)

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