Ammerdown House

Description

The Gardens with tall trimmed yew hedges and patterned parterres were re-designed by Lutyens (1901 etc.). (Pevsner, 1958, p.79)

In 1901 they also commissioned Edwin Lutyens (1869-1944) to design new formal gardens which, through their careful arrangement of vistas, provided an effective link between the house and the orangery in the late C18 walled garden (ibid). There is no documentary evidence to suggest that Gertrude Jekyll advised on the planting of the new gardens, but rather this appears to have been undertaken by Lady Hylton….

The formal gardens assumed their present form from 1901, when Lord and Lady Hylton commissioned Edwin Lutyens to provide a design which would resolve the unsatisfactory relationship between the House and the orangery, and provide a formal setting for the House (Butler 1950; Brown 1982). Lutyens incorporated within his scheme the south and east terraces and their stone retaining walls, which had been constructed in the mid C19, probably with the advice of Joseph Jopling…The Tithe map (1839) indicates that the mid C19 terraces were preceded by a small area of pleasure ground to the north-east of the House, and a terrace below the orangery.

To the south of the formal gardens an area of informal pleasure grounds comprises lawns planted with specimen trees and shrubs. Immediately below the retaining wall of the south terrace, a straight walk extends from west to east and is terminated to the east by an early C20 stone arbour or seat recess (listed grade II), designed by Lutyens. To the south-east, a late C18 or early C19 informal pond, originally situated in the park, is incorporated into the pleasure grounds. To the east of the House the pleasure grounds comprise further lawns and ornamental planting, together with several formal walks lined by pleached limes and other subjects, which serve to project the axes of the walks within the formal gardens into the park beyond. The pleasure grounds form part of the early C20 scheme designed by Lutyens for Lord and Lady Hylton (OS 1904)….

KITCHEN GARDEN The kitchen garden is situated c 120m north-east of the House. Rectangular on plan and enclosed by rubble-stone walls (listed grade II* with orangery), the garden is laid out with a central north to south axial walk and a centrally placed circular pool (dry, 2003). The walk is terminated to the north by an early C20 wrought-iron gate set in an elliptical-shaped opening. The remains of glasshouses and bothies stand against the north wall of the garden. The kitchen garden was constructed in the late C18 for T S Jolliffe, and was incorporated into the early C20 garden scheme by Lutyens. The south-facing slope to the east of the garden is planted with standard fruit trees, while a walk lined with Irish yews links this area to the pleasure grounds east of the formal gardens. (Historic England, list entry 1001136)

Bibliography

Pevsner, N. (1958) The Buildings of England. North Somerset and Bristol. London: Penguin Books.

Historic England. AMMERDOWN HOUSE. [Online] Available from: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1001136

Also Cited In

Pevsner, N. (1958) The Buildings of England. North Somerset and Bristol. London: Penguin Books.

COUNTRY HOMES GARDENS OLD & NEW: AMMERDOWN HOUSE–II SOMERSET. 1929. Country Life (Archive : 1901 – 2005), 65(1676), pp. 292-298.

COUNTRY HOMES GARDENS OLD & NEW: AMMERDOWN HOUSE–III. SOMERSET. THE SEAT OF LORD HYLTON. 1929. Country Life (Archive : 1901 – 2005), 65(1677), pp. 330-335.

Listing Grade

II*

Listing Reference

1001136

Client

Lord Hylton