| Summary : A late 17th-century landscape park containing early 18th-century water gardens and pleasure grounds. The park has medieval origins and was in existence by 1343. However, there is no known documentation for emparkment and it is possible that the park developed over the next two centuries. By 1577 it was in use as a deer park. The northern area of the park was documented as 'Old Park' during the 1730s and 1740s. This area was the first to be landscaped during the 1680s and slight traces of avenues laid out at this time survive. The 18th century saw a major phase in the development of the park with the creation of the water gardens and pleasure grounds from 1718 by John Aislabie. His work was continued by his son William, who in 1768, incorporated the ruins of Fountains Abbey into the gardens as a romantic ruin. Further changes to the park took place under the ownership of George Frederick Samuel Robinson, the First Marquis of Ripon, between 1859-1909. He built St Mary's Church (Monument HOB UID 51936) and 'tidied up' the gardens which involved the removal of a number of features including The Belvedere (Monument HOB UID 1093547), The Bathing House (Monument HOB UID 1096732) and a number of statues. The 19th century also saw an increase in the number of visitors to the park and in 1853 an admission fee was imposed. In 1891, Frederick Oliver Robinson, the Second Marquis of Ripon laid out a nine-hole golf course within the northern area of the park. This was increased to 18 holes in 1907; however in 1927 the course was closed. The park can be divided into three main elements; open parkland to the north, pleasure grounds including water gardens (Monument HOB UID 1097036) centred on the River Skell Valley to the southwest, and Seven Bridges Valley (Monument HOB UID 1097133) which includes open grassland and rocky valley sides to the southwest. Grade I Registered Park and Garden; part also scheduled. |
More information : [Centred SE 283 696] Studley Park Deer Park [T.I.] (1)
The Archbishops of York had from an early period a park at Ripon. The existing park of Studley Royal is in the immediate neighbourhood and appears in Saxton's Survey of 1577. (2)
The present Studley Park is of 18th century design (a) . No ground evidence exists to delineate an earlier enclosure. (3)
STUDLEY ROYAL I
Studley Royal park contains extensive pleasure grounds with early geometric layout, deer park with mixed styles and grounds of Fountains Abbey (Monument HOB UID 51860). Core of circa 350ha, with additional land to south established 1716-1742 by John Aislabie with additions by William Aislabie (died 1781). The pleasure grounds were laid out in two principal sections in the narrow valley of the River Skell; the first, 1716-1728, are the canalisation of the river with associated dams and cascades, the water parterre and associated geometrical earthworks. The western section includes Fountains Abbey precincts added in 1768 by William Aislabie.
The deer park now lies to the north of the pleasure grounds but the plateaux to the east were probably once part of the overall scheme. The park includes a lake, beyond which is the Mackershaw Valley which is rocky, wooded and naturally picturesque. To this in 1744-1747, William Aislabie added a Chinese building and terrace, no longer surviving. From the East Gate (Monument HOB UID 620557) an avenue leads southwest to St Mary's Church (Monument HOB UID 51936), terminating where the obelisk (Monument HOB UID 620570) now stands. (4)
The park was in existence by 1343 when the number of tenancies at Studley Magna had markedly reduced. Pastural and recreational use of the land owned by the vill appears to increase from this date. No licence for emparkation has been found, and it is possible that the park developed unofficially over two centuries. Rights to free warren had been established in 1344, and an area in the east of the park without ridge and furrow has been identified as a possible site of the warren. By 1577, when Studley was owned by the Mallories, Studley was almost entirely a deer park, as attested by Sexton's map of that date. But documentation shows that small parcels of land were still used for both arable and pastoral farming. By the end of the 16th century, arable usage had declined to 60 acres of the 1036 arces of parkland.
During the 1730s and 1740s the area documented as the 'Old Park' is the northern area of the park. This was the first area to be landscaped from c1680 when avenues were laid out, but this area of the park remained open for coursing while the rest of the park was being developed from 1716 onwards. (5-6)
A late 17th-century landscape park with earlier, medieval origins. The park contains a water garden with pleasure gardens (Monument HOB UID 1097036) laid out from 1718 by John Aislabie with further work continued by his son William Aislabie from 1742, including the extension of the park to include the ruins of Fountains Abbey in 1768. The park comprises three main elements: parkland to the north, pleasure grounds to the southwest (Monument HOB UID 1097036) centred around the valley of the River Skell, and Seven Bridges Valley to the southeast which is open grassland with scattered trees and clumps above the rocky valley sides to the north (Monument HOB UID 1097133). The park is mainly of open pasture with scattered trees and crossed by two axial routes. In 1720 it was described as 'a most delightful situation and park' by John Warburton. (7)
The northern area of the park comprises the deer park (National Trust Number 30000), which has medieval origins and enclosed the former medieval manor house, later the home of the Aislabies (Monument HOB UID 51936) which was destroyed by fire in 1946. Very few features of John Aislabie's park design survives in this area. Surviving features include the slight traces of seven tree avenues.
The 18th century saw a major phase in the development of the park with the creation of the water gardens and pleasure grounds from 1718 by John Aislabie. His work was continued by his son William, who in 1768, included the incorporation of the ruins of Fountains Abbey into the gardens as a romantic ruin. Further changes to the park took place under the ownership of George Frederick Samuel Robinson, the First Marquis of Ripon, between 1859-1909. He built St Mary's Church (Monument HOB UID 51936) and 'tidied up' the gardens which involved the removal of a number of features including The Belvedere (Monument HOB UID 1093547), The Bathing House (Monument HOB UID 1096732) and a number of statues. The 19th century also saw an increase in the number of visitors to the park and in 1853 an admission fee was made. In 1891, Frederick Oliver Robinson, the Second Marquis of Ripon laid out a nine-hole golf course within the northern area of the park. This was increased to 18 holes in 1907; however in 1927 the course was closed. (5, 8) |