More information : The Mediaeval character of Leeds Castle Park has been reassessed following a survey, and it is fairly certain that the deerpark evolved into a landscaped park by Edward I's reign at the latest. The evidence for this is the construction of a dam at the North end of the moat, fishponds on the East side of the moat, and a terrace overlooking the park from the West, which may have been the site of a banqueting hall. (See TQ85SW85-7 for details on these elements, and TQ85SW for the PM landscaped park). (1)
A section of the pale survives from TQ83825305-83255277, but has been much damaged and altered by later activity. At the NW end the pale is a massive scarp up to 2.5m high with a modern hedge on top. At a point where the modern footpath crosses the present park boundary, the hedge turns sharply SE. But the original pale diverges at this point and as a result lies to the North of the later boundary, and is represented by a North-facing scarp, 1.25m high. Between it and the modern boundary, the ground is pitted, suggesting that a belt of trees once lay beyond the old pale. (2) |