Reasons for Designation
The post-medieval house and gardens at Willey Court, 450m south east of Willey
House survive well and incorporate a number of features typifying the middle
range developments provided by the country gentry in a period when fashions
and technology were changing and many medieval and Tudor building complexes
were redeveloped along with a substantial area of the surrounding property,
including formal gardens and the wider emparked landscape. Many houses
constructed during this period incorporated remnants of an earlier manor
house, or occupied its site and will preserve buried remains of its
foundations. Although rarely of the first rank, these developments represent a
considerable investment of resources and many attempted to incorporate
innovations of style and technology seen in the greater houses of the land.
Although remnants of earlier developments may be preserved at Willey Court,
the remains are believed to relate largely to the 18th century and to have
survived for a very limited time span before being abandoned and have remained
largely undisturbed by later developments. In addition the remains of the
formal garden will show evidence of changing landscape fashions and
aspirations among the landed gentry of the period. Whilst much of the monument
survives as building remains and upstanding earthworks, providing information
upon the size and form of the house, gardens and ponds, those areas of the
monument which survive as buried remains will be expected to preserve earlier
deposits, including evidence of construction and any alterations, accompanied
by a range of boundaries, refuse pits, wells and drainage channels, all
related to the development of the manor. The arrangement of agricultural and
domestic ancillary buildings in relation to the residential quarters, will
illustrate the relationships between the different classes of occupants of the
estate and their daily activities and routine areas and methods of work.
Artefacts buried in association with the buildings will provide further
insights into the lifestyle of the inhabitants and assist in dating the
changes through time. Environmental evidence may also be preserved,
illustrating the economy of the estate and providing further information about
its agricultural regime.
Details
The monument includes the buried, earthwork and upstanding remains of the
post-medieval house and gardens at Willey Court. The house, gardens and two
fish ponds are in three separate areas of protection. Willey Court is located
on the north east side and valley bottom of the steep narrow valley of the
Lime Brook, and is geographically isolated in a hill and valley landscape,
close to the Welsh border. The house and terraced gardens were located in
order to exploit the extended landscape views down the valley and across the
adjacent hills to the south and east.
The first area includes the remains of the house and gardens which stand on a
substantial artificial stone revetted terrace, of rough grey stone walling,
aligned north west to south east and approximately 300m long and up to 3.5m
high. The terrace varies from 10m to 40m wide being widest in the centre and
tapering at both ends. The remains of the southernmost access road or drive
run along the base of the revetment and include traces of a paved surface and
stone edging. To the south of the drive are slighter earthwork remains of at
least two smaller terraces leading downslope to the Lime Brook and fishponds
in the valley below. At the north western end of the drive are the remains
of a formal stone edged path leading down the slope from the terrace below the
house and heading towards the site of a former bridge, crossing to the
retaining dam of the uppermost pond.
The main house, constructed of local grey freestone, stood slightly to the
north west of the centre of the terrace with a large service courtyard
consisting of stables and outbuildings lying further to the north west. There
are no surviving dressed features or imported masonry, although some areas of
inserted brick work survives. The bricks vary from small hand made bricks of
probable 17th century date to 19th century machined bricks. A small, partly
restored outbuilding known as `the stable', lies furthest to the north west
and is excluded from the scheduling. The walls of several buildings stand to
over 2m high, and parts of the chimney wall of the house to over 3m high. To
the south east of the house were at least two walled courtyards or gardens
occupying the south eastern half of the main terrace. There are the remains of
a circular corbelled icehouse and a well with a probable ornamental spring
head or housing. Several exotic ornamental trees survive in and above the main
terrace as remnants of the formal gardens.
The remains of a second approach drive terraced into the hillside and walled
on either side, in the vicinity of the main terrace and house, survive
immediately upslope and behind the house. A third and final driveway is
located 80m upslope from the lowest driveway and is also terraced into the
hill side and aligned east to west. It too has traces of a paved or cobbled
surface and dwarf retaining walls and survives as an earthwork extending to
the west into the adjacent field. A 15m sample of this extension is included
in the scheduling to preserve its relationship with the house and gardens.
Between the area defined by the three driveways, the hill side slopes steeply
to the north east and includes the earthwork remains of at least six further
terraces, aligned east to west and occupying the ground behind the building
complex. The stone foundations of several small structures believed to be
small gazebos, look outs and other garden features survive among the terraces
behind the house. The most prominent of these is an earthen mound or tump
supporting a plantation of four beech trees planted to grow as a single
massive landscape feature. The mound is approximately 6m in diameter and 2.5m
high. An avenue of at least six yew trees was aligned to lead between the
mound and a small stone structure which projected from the terrace immediately
below the mound and must have formed part of an impressive garden arrangement.
A chain of three large fishponds occupy the line of the Lime Brook in the
valley bottom, running south west to north east towards the site of the house
and gardens.
The second area protects the south westernmost pond which remains waterlogged.
It is roughly square in plan and water was retained by distinct earthen banks,
measuring up to 1m high and 1m wide, on the northern, eastern and southern
sides. A substantial dam retained the water against the fall of the valley on
the western side and measures up to 3m high and 3m wide with a wide shallow
ditch immediately on the southern, outer edge, from which material for the dam
was quarried. The remains of a large stone, iron and concrete sluice, of
probable 19th century date survive midway along the dam. Approximately 300m to
the north east along the line of the Lime Brook are the remains of a second
fishpond protected in a third area. These are less regular in shape, being
sub-rectangular and defined by a waterlogged hollow with the remains of a
sluice along its northern edge. The third pond lies approximately 200m
upstream to the north east and is closest to the site of the house. This
pond has been substantially dredged and reinstated and is not included in the
scheduling. It is approximately square in plan and retained by a substantial
dam on its south western side. The Lime Brook and a number of springs which
issue further up the valley sides formed the water source for the series of
fishponds. The origins of the fishponds are unknown, although their form
suggests that they may have been medieval structures adapted for use in the
formal gardens of the later house when they formed a significant element in
the formal pleasure gardens. Substantial dams and sluices were inserted in
order to provide an impressive cascade of three large ponds filling the valley
floor and in clear view of the house and terraces. The line of the Lime Brook
also appears to have formed an important landscape feature acting to separate
the more formal garden arrangements on the north eastern side of the valley
surrounding the house, from the less formal pleasure grounds or park on the
south western slopes of the valley facing the house. This area of less formal
park land is not included in the scheduling.
The origins of the Willey Court estate are obscure. There are a few surviving
references to the parish of Wilelegh from the 12th century, by 1259 it formed
part of Wylileg Welshry, suggesting that its proximity to the Welsh borders
may have caused alterations in ownership leading to the lack of surviving
documentation. The post-medieval house was certainly extant by 1792 when
Thomas Legge Esq of Willey Court died there, suggesting that at the very
latest the house and gardens were of mid-18th century date. By the 19th
century the estate formed part of the 1300 acre Willey Court estate, being
offered for sale. The house is described as being `down' in the sale
documents and forms part of a lot with a `garden, pleasure ground, etc.' The
accompanying plan shows the terraces, drives, walled gardens and fishponds
surviving intact and the plan of the two main building complexes, domestic and
ancillary were recorded. Local tradition suggests that the house was gutted
and stripped following the sale, with architectural features being
incorporated into other houses in the area.
MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
