Record Details

NHER Number:33732
Type of record:Monument
Name:Thickthorn Park

Summary

An early 19th century landscape park surrounding Thickthorn Hall. The park includes a medieval moat that was turned into an ornamental lake, a late 19th century kitchen garden, early 19th century lodges and concrete greenhouses from the 1930s.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TG 1751 0521
Map Sheet:TG10NE
Parish:HETHERSETT, SOUTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

The old moated hall (NHER 9352) was replaced by the present Thickthorn Hall (NHER 9417) in 1812. It is most likely that the park was created at the same time as the house and it appears on (S3). (S3) also shows a continuous belt of woodland to the north of the house. A service drive approached the north of the hall. Two other drives approached the hall from the east and the west, both with their own lodge. (S3) also shows the kitchen garden and an area to the west of the house described as ‘pleasure grounds.’ Grigor writing in the 1840s (S4) states these were made out of marl or gravel pits. Within the kitchen garden is an octagon shaped building which possibly had an agricultural use. By the time of an 1890s painting (see (S1) for more details) a series of terraces, borders and lawns were in place to the south of the house. Within the park there is also a rustic summerhouse which dates to the late nineteenth century.
The moat was widened at some point between (S4) and (S5), to create a small lake and this is how it appears on (S5). A third lodge (NHER 42822) had also been built at the entrance to the middle drive and a north-eastern shelter belt planted. Since 1907 the area of parkland has been substantially reduced and the eastern half is now under the plough. The present glasshouses were installed in the 1930s. Wychwood House was built in 1957 and took over the pleasure gardens.
See (S1) for full details, not graded in (S2).
E. Rose (NLA) 27 July 1998.
Updated by E. Nicholl (UEA), 15 November 2011.

Monument Types

  • MOAT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
  • GARDEN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • GARDEN HOUSE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • GARDEN WALL (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)
  • LODGE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • SUMMERHOUSE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • GLASSHOUSE (Early 20th Century to 21st Century - 1901 AD to 2100 AD)

Associated Finds - none

Protected Status

  • SHINE

Sources and further reading

---Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D.A. (NLA). 1995. TG1705/J - U.
<S1>Unpublished Document: Norfolk County Council. [unknown]. Inventory of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Norfolk.. Vol 2.
<S2>Designation: English Heritage. Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England..
<S3>Map: Drane, W.. 1846. Hethersett Tithe Map.
<S4>Publication: Grigor. 1841. The Eastern Aboretum.
<S5>Map: Ordnance Survey. 1906 to 1907. Ordnance Survey 2nd edition 6 inch map.
<S6>Publication: Faden, W. and Barringer, J. C. 1989. Faden's Map of Norfolk in 1797.

Related records

11805Parent of: Lodge House (Building)
42822Parent of: Thickthorn Lodge (Building)
9417Part of: Thickthorn Hall (Building)
9352Related to: Medieval moat, Thickthorn Hall (Monument)

Find out more...

Norfolk County Council logo Heritage Lottery Fund logo

Powered by HBSMR-web and the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd, and mojoPortal CMS
© 2007 - 2024 Norfolk Historic Environment Service