Record Details
| NHER Number: | 33731 |
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| Type of record: | Monument |
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| Name: | Gunthorpe Park |
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Summary
A late 18th century landscape park which was probably created in about 1790 when Soane designed the Hall, see NHER 3233. The park was extended in the 19th century, and woodland was planted on the edges of the park. The late 19th century formal garden was Italianate in style. The 18th century kitchen gardens were partly rebuilt in the mid 19th century.
Images - none
Location
| Grid Reference: | TG 005 342 |
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| Map Sheet: | TG03SW |
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| Parish: | GUNTHORPE, NORTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK |
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Full description
It is likely that the park was created in the 1790s when the new Hall (NHER 3233) was built, but there is no evidence. The park is first shown on Faden’s map, surveyed in 1794 (S2), covering an area of c.80 hectares. It was bounded to the south, south-west and south-east by Stock Heath, a large common. It was bounded on the other sides by public roads. This map shows a lake within the park.
By the 1836 Ordnance Survey 1 inch map (S3), the road to the east had closed. This map and the 1838 Tithe Award map (S4) shows that large blocks of woodland had been installed for privacy. The road closure does not appear to have allowed the park to expand, it just adds privacy. In fact, it appears as though the park has shrunk, as a large area to the west was converted to agricultural use, and so the park was only c.45 hectares.
In 1829 Stock Heath was enclosed by an Act of Parliament, and was planted with trees, labelled on the 1906 6 inch Ordnance Survey map (S5) as ‘Little Heath’, ‘Middle Heath’ and ‘Great Heath’ plantations. The park expanded before 1886 to link up with woods.
The 1906 map shows that the park was created at the expense of agricultural fields, as there are clear lines of trees on the map indicating old field boundaries, especially west of the Hall. That the lines were still clear in 1906 suggests that the park was not very old. The park was linked with the Heath plantations by this point, giving the park an area of c.60 hectares. This map also shows a tree belt along the northern boundary of the park, screening the Hall from the adjacent road, so now the park was completely screened from view in all directions. In addition, a few small clumps of woodland within the park have appeared.
The park contains mostly oak trees with some exotics. The park contains a late 19th century Italianate Garden. The kitchen garden is north-east of the Hall and once contained a famous greenhouse.
See (S2), (S3), (S4) and (S5).
E. Rose (NLA) 27 July 1998.
Updated by C.Hurst (UEA) 8 November 2011.
Monument Types
- GARDEN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- GARDEN WALL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- ITALIAN GARDEN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- KITCHEN GARDEN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- LANDSCAPE PARK (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- ORNAMENTAL LAKE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- PLANTATION (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- TREE BELT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
- TREE CLUMP (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
Associated Finds - none
Protected Status
Sources and further reading
| <S1> | Unpublished Document: Norfolk County Council. [unknown]. Inventory of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Norfolk.. Vol 2. |
| <S2> | Publication: Faden, W. and Barringer, J. C. 1989. Faden's Map of Norfolk in 1797. |
| <S3> | Map: Ordnance Survey. 1824-1836. Ordnance Survey First Edition 1 inch.. |
| <S4> | Map: Wright, J.. 1838. Gunthorpe Tithe map.. 1 inch: 3 chains. |
| <S5> | Map: Ordnance Survey. 1906 to 1907. Ordnance Survey 2nd edition 6 inch map. |
Related records
| 3233 | Part of: Gunthorpe Hall (Building) |
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