More information : A kerbed circular mound measuring 12m in diameter reported to be the foundation of an 19th century summerhouse after which Summerhouse Hill named. There appears to be a second smaller polygonal tirer on top of the main mound measuring approximately 6m in diameter. The mound is thought that the mound originated as a prehistoric cairn similar a nearby Bonze Age kerbed cairn known as Barrow Hill (Monument Number: 43049). (1)
Although not specifically scheduled itself, this site falls within the scheduled monument area of the alleged stone circle on summerhouse hill (NHLE 1009118, UID 43052) and, as such, it is covered by the same terms of protection. (2)
The site was targeted for follow-on ground investigation in Stage 2 of English Heritage's NAIS Upland Pilot Project (covering parts of the Southern Lakes, Western Dales & Arnside), and was briefly perambulated, but not surveyed, in April 2014 (3). The site comprises the demolished remains of a polygonal summerhouse erected on top of a circular mound surrounded by large irregular kerbstones. The remains are centred at SD 5010 7439, at c.125m OD, towards the eastern edge of the relatively flat-top Summerhouse Hill, approximately 660m east of Leighton Hall (uid 41538). The mound is roughly circular in plan and has vertical sides measuring c.0.7-1m high faced with large kerbstones formed of boulders quarried from limestone pavement (of which there are large quantities local to the hill). Within the ring of kerbs is a firm and slightly domed mound. Steps up the side of the mound to approach the former building are still partially intact on the east side overlooking the steep drop down to woodland and across to the broad. On top of the mound are the basal remains of an octagonal structure made of rough limestone blocks - some showing traces of slight chamfering and pick tool marks - with traces of a coarse gritty render surviving in places. The wall thickness is uniformly c0.7m (2ft) and survives to about three-courses around the southern side.
Writing about the various monuments on this hill in 1936, North and Spence suggest that the summerhouse was erected about the middle of the 18th century; they also publish a survey plan of the adjacent alleged stone circle (UID 43052) which includes an illustrated reference to the size and position of the summerhouse plinth (3a). A structure in the position of the summerhouse position and the local name ‘Summerhouse Hill’ both appear on all Ordnance Survey maps of the area from the earliest edition 6-inch edition of 1848 to the present day, suggesting that the structure had been standing for some time by the mid-19th century (3b).
A privately-owned monochrome photograph, labelled ‘SUMMERHOUSE, YEALAND, 30’, shows the south side of the summerhouse, still fully standing but apparently out of use circa 1930 (3c). The photograph shows an octagonal two-storey pavilion, probably comprising a low service room(s) below with a high-ceilinged first-floor room for dining and entertaining above. It is constructed of rubble with the 'piano nobile' slate-hung; the seemingly poor quality exterior of the ground floor walls implies that the lower portion of the building was originally rendered, a fact confirmed by traces of coarse render adhering to the surviving fragments of the southern walls. The west face of the polygonal structure is topped with a small triangular pediment and a single discreet chimney stack; importantly, this shows that the building was heated. This west face is punctuated by a tall arch-headed window with an ashlar surround incorporating a keystone and simple impost mouldings; around the rest of the visible half of the building, windows matching the western example alternate with recessed niches mimicking the size and shape of the window openings. A slate roof with leaded ridges topped by a prominent weather-vane completed the building. The photograph does not show how the upper storey was accessed but it does show the top of a rectangular door or window opening in the west wall of the ground floor. The extant remains of stone steps up the east side of the mound imply that the building was probably accessed at ground-floor level from the east, with an internal stair leading to the first-floor room. The photograph also shows that the prominent boulder kerbs around the base of the mound were originally topped with smaller stones filling the gaps to create a level horizontal top around the kerbing.
The building appears to have faced west towards Leighton Hall; although the Leighton Estate no longer extends this far east it is most likely that the summerhouse was erected for its owners and was originally within the grounds of Leighton Park. The extant structure sits directly alongside the line of a long-established path, connecting Leighton Hall to Yealand Conyers village via Summerhouse Hill, marked on all historic editions of the Ordnance Survey maps. Through much of the mid-20th century this part of the hill was also used as a cricket ground, continuing its association with leisure pursuits.
It is entirely plausible that a burial mound underlies the stone-kerbed plinth for the summerhouse - possibly inspiring both the specific choice of location and the use of prominent kerbstones, which are similar to, albeit it much larger than, those associated with a nearby cairn (uid 43049). If this is the case, however, then unfortunately all elements of any such earlier monument are almost certainly contained/concealed within the remains of the purposely-constructed, heavily stone-kerbed and vertically-sided plinth on which the summerhouse was built. (3)
An article originally written in the mid-20th century but not published until 1992, states that John Ford, a ship-owner and builder of Lancaster, bought the manor land at Yealand around 1800 and built the present house (Yealand Manor, formerly Morecombe Lodge) soon after, replacing an earlier house that stood to its south. It goes on to suggest that the summerhouse - or rather the ‘gazebo’ - was also built by John Ford at this time. However, in a footnote the magazine’s editor highlights that the summerhouse is older this, having been dated to circa 1750 by Mr Tom Clare; this earlier date concords better with authority 3a and with the building style seen in authority 3c. A copy of the same photograph attributed to authority 3c is reproduced from the MLHS archives on p17, along with a note that the summerhouse had, at one time, been used as the club house by Yealand Cricket Club and had also been used by the scouts during the [Second World?] war. (4)
A near identically-worded article to authority 4, but with different illustrations and no editorial comments, presents a slightly earlier photograph of the standing summerhouse taken from the same angle but showing the building in slightly better condition with people in Edwardian (?) clothes posing along the front of the basal mound. (5)
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