Historic England

New research confirming evidence of Tudor and Jacobean garden remains will help save historic landscape at Belhus Park

BELHUS PARK HISTORY

Belhus Park contains the remains of a mid-18^th century park designed by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown and Richard Woods. Together, they transformed the formal Tudor gardens and the park of the much earlier Manor of Belhus.

The manor was lived in from the 14^th century and passed through marriage to the Barrett family who rebuilt Belhus House towards the end of the 16^th century. By the mid-17^th century they had built up one of the largest estates in Essex. Following a period of neglect, the house and grounds were updated by Lord Dacre between 1744 and 1777, with Lancelot Brown commissioned to remodel the grounds between 1753 and 1763.

During the Second World War, Belhus was damaged by bombing and military occupation, leading to the house being demolished in 1957.

FINDINGS

Historic England research has confirms that remains of Tudor and Jacobean gardens have been discovered at the Grade II registered Belhus Park.

Initial research was undertaken by volunteers as part of the ’Designed Landscapes’ project suggested that remains of Tudor and Jacobean formal gardens lay beneath the surface of the Belhus Park Golf Course, which is part of the former Belhus Park estate that once included a manor house.

The volunteer researchers discovered, in aerial photographs and remote sensing data, features that appeared to mirror a 1619 pictorial survey of Belhus Park and a late 17^th to early 18^th century painting depicting a bird’s eye view of the property. This evidence suggested that the layout of the former gardens had survived. The gardens were replaced in the mid-18th century with a landscape park designed by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown.

The ’Designed Landscapes’ project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, was run in partnership by Land of the Fanns and The Gardens Trust. At the request of Land of the Fanns and with the support of Impulse Leisure, Historic England carried out detailed on-site research, which confirmed significant parts of the original garden design beneath the golf course fairways.

The survival of a circular water feature to the west of the former manor house, and the patterns of paths and walls verifies the view of the gardens shown in the late 17^th to early 18^th century painting. (See below for imagery)

The fieldwork carried out by Historic England’s Archaeological Survey & Investigation and Geophysics teams used non-invasive methods that allowed detailed analysis of the subtle earthworks and shallow buried archaeology without the need for excavation, ensuring their preservation in situ.

WHAT NEXT

Historic England’s research provides a valuable foundation to assist the creation of a Conservation Management Plan for the wider Belhus Park estate. Such a plan will enable better collaboration between landowners and operators to protect and raise awareness about the significance of this important historic landscape.

Historic England will be working in partnership with Impulse Leisure, Thurrock Council, The Woodland Trust, Essex County Council, the Thames Chase Trust and other partners to ensure the conservation of this important historic setting and work towards the removal of Belhus Park from Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register.

The historic garden features lie within a part of the live golf course where there is no public access, and many of the remains cannot be seen easily from the ground. It is hoped that there will be future opportunities for community engagement, volunteering, exploring and enjoying this fascinating place.

For more information about the historic landscape of Belhus Park, pleasea visit the Capability Brown Clubhouse at Belhus Park Golf Course before accessing the private site.

To view the full report please click here.