More information : TL 788 358 Garden built c1719 by Sir Robert Ashurst for Hedingham Castle House.
The Estate of Hedingham Castle was purchased by Sir William Ashurst from the Trentham family in 1713, and the great house there, built in the inner bailey of the castle earthworks (see TL 73 NE 9 for castle and TL 73 NE 30 for house), was completed by 1719, the year of Sir William's death. His son, Robert, proceeded to lay out extensive gardens for the house.
The house was built on a levelled portion of the inner bailey earthworks and at an angle to them so as to afford a direct view down the valley to the south. This view became the principal axis of the garden, represented by a straight vista carried by a long canal, at the end of which was probably a clairevoie allowing passers-by on the Sudbury Road a glimpse of the house in its imposing position on the hill across a large expanse of water (1a). Alongside the canal were terraced walks, flanked by lines of limes and elms, a number of which survive, possibly from the original planting. Other water features in the garden included a pond to the west of the canal, which survives today, and another long pond further south and parallel with the canal (1a); only traces of this survive today. Additionally, two irregular ponds were situated immediately east of the canal basin, with a dovecote (see TL 73 NE 61) between them; a contemporary farm was situated immediately east of the dovecote. All of the water features are probably altered survivors of an earlier group of fishponds extant in 1592 (1b).
The main access to the house was effected by a long elm avenue which formed a cross-axis with the canal. The line of the avenue survived in 1895 (1c), but is only visible now as a series of shallow depressions marking the positions of trees.
The inner bailey of the castle was transformed into a small private formal garden with a raised terrace walk along the bailey ramparts and a ogee-roofed pavillion in the south-east corner.
The castle mound was incorporated into the garden; existing buildings were probably levelled (except for the keep, which was used for housing carriages, and probably retained as an eyecatcher) and the Tudor curtain wall was probably refurbished. An ogee-roofed pavillion, and possibly a second building were constructed, though no definite traces of these survive. A number of paths for wooded walks were cut into the ramparts of the castle mound and inner bailey.
A kitchen garden survived south of the castle mound in 1785 (1a), and slight scarps mark its presence today.
From the end of the 18th century, the gardens at Hedingham Castle have witnessed gradual but continuous change. Major elements of the 18th century formal landscape have disappeared but their earthworks remain. During the 19th century the park was softened by extensive woodland planting on the slopes east adn west of the canal and on the sides of the castle mound, and there was a return to formality close to the house where the turning circle was replaced by a formal terraced garden, remains of which survive today.
The garden associated with Hedingham Castle House was surveyed during a survey of Hedingham Castle by the Royal Commission between October and November 1995 following a request from English Heritage. See archive report and plan at 1:1000 scale. (1)
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