Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Location

Full description

Docking Hall (NHER 1656) dates from 1612, the park begun in about 1750 and shown in an estate map of 1756 (S6), surveyed 1755. The Hall is at the very north of the park which contains many standing trees. In the west of the park is the ‘London Pit’ which four roads lead to, running through the park. There are tree belts east, south and west of the park, although it is thin to the south-west. Trees surround the north of the Hall, blocking it from view of the road. There is a tree lined avenue running south from the Hall across the park. This stands in line with the temple (NHER 15013) placed in Temple Wood south of the park. Temple Wood, south of the park; Mill Hill Wood, south-west of the park; and Mount Wood, west of the park were all planted in the 1750s. It is not clear where there park boundaries are.
Faden’s map (S5), surveyed in 1794, shows the park boundaries; it is enclosed by four roads. The southern boundary is a road running east from the ‘London Pit’. In 1832 there was a Road Closure Order which terminated this road, indicating that the park was to be extended south to include Temple Wood. The park is shown to have grown west on the Road Closure Order, up to Mount Wood, (NHER 15003 for closed roads). There are three new drives to the Hall in place by 1832, in a curved circular design. The single straight drive running south to the Hall is gone.
The 1840 Tithe Award map (S7) shows a kitchen garden in the north-west corner of the park. The park has been extended south of the road, although that land is used for arable purposes, and does not come under the ‘Park’ classification as the land does north of the old road.
The 1864 Tithe Award map (S8) shows the park has become enclosed by woodland east, south and west. Temple Wood has been extended west so it reaches the road running south from ‘London Pit’. The land north of Temple Wood, previously used as arable is used for pasture, drawing it into the parkland. The road running north from the ‘London Pit’ has been closed, and used as a track instead, and a new road has been built further west.
The 1905 6 inch Ordnance Survey map (S9) shows the fully extended parkland with woodland and tree belts enclosing it.
The majority of the trees in the park are Lime and Oak. There are a number of earthworks within the park, including field boundaries, tofts and hollow ways.
Historic Parkland on (S1), but not included in (S2).
See (S3) for description of a 'Hermitage' built of seashells and seaweed.
See (S5), (S6), (S7), (S8) and (S9).
E. Rose (NLA) 17 March 1994.
Updated by C.Hurst (UEA) 8 November 2011.

September 1999.
Earthworks under good grazed grass.
Poaching limited to flat areas near Hall Farm.
H. Paterson (A&E) 20 October 1999.

January 1999. Earthwork Survey.
Survey at 1:1000, indicating layout of roads (NHER 15003) and internal features which indicate medieval and post medieval enclosures.
Considerable quantity of Roman, Early Saxon, Middle Saxon, Late Saxon and medieval pottery. Report indicates some continuity of occupation from Roman onwards and suggests park did extend as far as The Mount (NHER 1643).
See report (S4) for plan and further details. This site was included in (S10) and the survey is also noted in (S11).
B. Cushion (NLA) 11 February 1999.

April 2012
Stray finds recovered by Docking Heritage Group while walking in the park. Finds included a single piece of Late Saxon Thetford ware pottery and a small amount of medieval and post-medieval pottery.
C. Bradshaw (HES) 19 March 2013.

Monument Types

• BANK (EARTHWORK) (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• DRAINAGE DITCH (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• ENCLOSURE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• HOLLOW WAY (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• PARK PALE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• POND (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• ROAD (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• TOFT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• AVENUE (LANDSCAPE FEATURE) (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• BANK (EARTHWORK) (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• DRAINAGE DITCH (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• ENCLOSURE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• FISHPOND (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• GARDEN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• GARDEN HOUSE (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)
• PARK (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• PIT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• PLEASURE GARDEN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• SITE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• STABLE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• TERRACED GARDEN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• TREE BELT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• WALL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds

• POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• POT (Early Saxon - 411 AD to 650 AD)
• POT (Middle Saxon - 651 AD to 850 AD)
• POT (Late Saxon - 851 AD to 1065 AD)
• POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status

• Management Statement
• SHINE

Sources and further reading

Related records

Find out more...

• Parish Summary: Docking (Parish Summary)