| Summary : The earthwork remains of a formal sunken garden, laid out between the mid-16th and early 17th century, are visible immediately to the south of Ashby de la Zouch castle. The garden consists of a rectangular terrace which is divided into two sections by a walkway. To the west is a simple square sunken area surrounded by walkways and to the east is a sunken garden of more complicated design with a dividing east-west walkway and projecting angular spurs. There is no evidence that the eastern garden contained water. The whole of the terrace was surrounded by a red brick wall, some of which survives to the east. The northern wall, close to the kitchen, contains blocked alcoves which may have been bee boles. At the south-western and south-eastern corners of the brick garden enclosure are the ruins of two garden buildings. The ruins of a third garden building were discovered by excavation in the centre of the eastern section of the sunken garden. The buildings probably date to the mid- or late 16th century. The sunken garden was part of a much larger formal landscape which consisted of a number of garden compartments and formal ponds to the west of the castle, some of which are still visible as earthworks. There is documentary evidence for an 18th century bowling green. |
More information : South of Ashby de la Zouche castle (see SK 31 NE 3) is an area
of about two acres known as the Wilderness. This area was
enclosed in the sixteenth century to form the castle garden,
and fragments of the brick wall, together with the angle-towers,
or garden houses, at the south-west and south-east corners,
built at this time, still remain. The south-western and larger
tower rises to three storeys, and is quatrefoil in plan, the
northern lobe containing a spiral staircase. The south-eastern
tower has only two storeys and is octagonal in plan, with a
staircase contained in a smaller semi-octagon, projecting from
the south-west side. In the south face there formerly exisited
a corbelled-out chimney stack from a fireplace on the first floor.
Both towers have large square-headed stone windows.
Eighteenth-century views show that the western half of the
garden contained a bowling green, while the earthworks in the
eastern half are the remains of ornamental ponds. (1)
This garden was mapped from good quality air photographs as
part of the RCHME's National Forest Project. The following
features were recorded:
Earthwork bowling green of Post Medieval Date seen as one
large (15-50m) rectangular negative feature.
Centred at:-SK 3610 1659
(Morph No. FR.136.1.2)
Earthwork ornamental pond of Post Medieval date seen as one
very large (>50m) rectangular negative feature. The pond is
divided in two with angular projections forming a geometric
pattern.
Centred at:-SK 3616 1662
(Morph No. FR.136.1.3)
Earthwork ornamental terrace of Medieval date seen as a single
linear feature defined by 1 bank, with a maximum length of 110m.
Centred at:-SK 3606 1659
(Morph No. FR.136.1.4)
Earthwork macula of unknown date seen as one medium size (4-15m)
amorphous negative feature.
Centred at:-SK 3622 1664
(Morph No. FR.136.1.5)
(2)
SK 3612 1665. Ashby Castle and associated formal garden.
The remains of earthworks occupying an area of approximately 0.8ha and known as The Wilderness were part of the formal garden associated with Ashby Castle (SK 31 NE 3). The gardens were laid out in the 16th century and can be divided in two parts. The western area is square in plan and lower than the surrounding ground surface. It is thought to have been a sunken ornamental parterre laid out with flower beds and walkways. During the 18th century this part of the garden was used as a bowling green. The water garden to the east is roughly I-shaped and now dry; the narrow, central part is likely to have been originally crossed by a small bridge. Both principal garden features are bounded by level walkways from which the gardens could be viewed.
The Wilderness was originally bounded to the west and east by brick walls which also defined part of the boundary to the castle at the time. At the south-western and south eastern corners of the garden are the standing remains of small towers or garden houses.
The gardens are thought to have originally extended further south, beyond the southern walkway; in the area between this and the northern boundary of Manor Close there is evidence for two slightly raised earthworks which are parallel to the walkway and are synnetrical to each other. There is a slight break between these features, thought to be an entranceway into a less formal garden beyond.
The area south of the raised earthworks has been incorporated in Manor Close and the original extent of the castle garden is not known.
In the north-western part of the site the original boundary is marked by a continuation of the scarp further to he south, approximately 1.5m high at this point. The flat terrace created to the east, now a football pitch, may have been the original kitchen garden.
Scheduled (RSM) No 17121.(3)
See source for details. (4)
In 2006 English Heritage undertook a multidisciplinary research project to examine the garden at Ashby de la Zouch castle. The research involved analytical earthwork survey, coring, geophysical survey, excavation and documentary research. The results confirmed that the sunken garden to the south of the castle was originally part of a much bigger formal garden and that a garden existed at the castle as early as the 15th century. The research identified a number of elements of this larger garden, including terraces defining garden compartments and the earthwork remains of geometric fishponds 250m to the west of the castle garden, on the Bath Grounds (centred on SK 3589 1642). The sunken garden itself appears to have been created in the mid-16th or early 17th century and may be the product of a number of redesigns. The two standing garden buildings were probably built sometime in the mid- to late 16th century. Excavation revealed the foundations of a probable third garden building in the hole in the causeway across the eastern section of sunken garden, confirming the results of the earthwork and geophysical surveys that suggested that the area never contained water. The excavation also confirmed the buried survival of the southern garden wall and revealed small elements of possible garden designs within the sunken areas. The northern wall of the garden contains blocked alcoves which may have been bee boles. (5)
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