More information : (SP 57741199) Moat (NR) (1) Beckley. The 'hunting lodge' on the site of the modern Lower Park Farm (identified on OS 6" 1900) (now Beckley Park) was first mentioned in 1347 when it was being repaired. In 1375, it was rebuilt for Edward III, and it is recorded that the lodge had a great hall surrounded by a ditch, a mound, and an outer moat. He strengthened the hall with four stone buttresses built up from the ditch, and had the whole lodge ringed with a third ditch and mound. The remains of the hall, buttresses and the three moats can be seen today. The medieval lodge was probably ruinous when acquired by Sir John Williams in Edward VI's reign, and the existing red-brick house which must have been built by 1600, is probably his work. It has the normal arrangement of hall, parlour, buttery and kitchen, but the three massive towers on the north side are an unusual architechtural feature. Grade 1. (2-4) The present house built c 1540 in the triple moated site (see plan). (5-6) Centred SP57731198. The triple moats are situated in low-lying ground and fed from the south by a small stream; the original entrance to the Lodge was probably on the south-west side. The inner waterfilled moat encloses an area 35.0m (north-west/south-east) by 25.0m and is complete save for most of the south-west arm which was probably infilled when the 16th century house was constructed. The interior is now an ornamental garden and there are no traces of the lodge. Between the inner and middle moat there is a grassed interspace from 10.0m to 15.0m wide (except on the north-east side). The majority of the south-east arm of the middle, waterfilled, moat has been effaced and covered by farm buildings. The south angle has evidently been reconstructed since it is not shown on the OS. 25" CS1. The outer and middle moats are contiguous and the former, now dry, is not as deep as its partners. The south-east side of this outer moat is also infilled although its course can be vaguely detected in the overgrown orchard. The mound shown at SP 57731203 on Aston's plan is most probably dredged silt and that at SP 57681195 is bank clearance. 'Beckley Park' (name verified) is an outstanding five-bay Tudor house, brick built with extensive diaper work and three, three-storey 'wings' at the rear, a central and two outer 'stunted' wings giving the house an 'E' plan. The chimneys and front porch have been rebuilt. Surveyed at 1:2500 on PFD. (7)
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