Richings Park: formal gardens and park
Location/Address
None recorded
Type
Description
Early eighteenth century formal gardens and park at Richings Park
Initially laid out by Stephen Switzer some time before 1739, it is the only example of his work in the county. Remodelled in 1739 and 1775. Formal canal down the central axis of the park in Switzer's scheme, with diagonal allees on either side. Menagerie west of house, grotto and greenhouse. Park extended to north in 1788 (B1).
Jeffries map of 1788 shows the canal clearly with a round lake in its centre, also the straight avenues of trees running E-W on either side of the canal in the north and the network of woodland rides in the south (B4).
The park and pleasure ground for a nabob’s villa of the 1790s, further developed in the mid-C19. It incorporates remnant features from a renowned and influential early-mid-C18 ferme ornée, most notably Lord Bathurst’s extensive canal. The site and previous house (demolished 1780s) had strong connections with the C17 royal court, and early-mid-C18 literati including Alexander Pope who wrote part of his famous translation of the Iliad here c.1717, and associations with the garden designer
Stephen Switzer, whose contribution is unclear. The layout, at its most fully developed by the 1920s, survives partly intact, although having lost the 1790s villa (the second in the park), four lodges, the detail of the gardens and pleasure ground, and been overlaid by a golf course and divided at the south end by the M4 motorway. (See report for detail) (B11).
Statement of Significance
Asset type
Early eighteenth century formal gardens and park at Richings Park
Date Listed
n/a