Summary
The Old Bothy, a gardeners' bothy for Cowdray Park built in the early C20.
Reasons for Designation
The Old Bothy, Cowdray Park, an early C20 estate building providing accommodation for unmarried gardeners, is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architecture and intactness: a substantially intact estate building which is unusual in its design, well-detailed externally and which retains the majority of its internal features including extensive glazed wall tiling
* Rarity: as an unusual building type which is only, inevitably, found associated with large country houses or estates which had a requirement for gardeners in some numbers
* Group value: the old bothy is located within the registered landscape of Cowdray Park (Grade II*), in close proximity to the fine Victorian mansion of Cowdray Park which it served. It also has group value with the kitchen garden, stable yard and other historic estate buildings which are located to the immediate north of the old bothy
History
The Old Bothy, historically providing accommodation and ablutions for Cowdray's unmarried gardeners, was built in the early C20. It post-dates the 1912 Ordnance Survey map but is of a pre-war style architecturally, thus probably built in the second decade of the C20 (its Edwardian character could point to an error in the map). It is presumed to be part of Sir Weetman Pearson's improvements. The building should be seen as part of the expansion of the estate facilities, prompted by the remodelling and considerable extension of Cowdray Lodge to create the large Victorian mansion known as Cowdray Park in the 1870s. This development was the impetus for improvements to the estates ancillary buildings and a number of buildings were newly constructed or enlarged in the immediate vicinity of the old bothy in the late C19 and early C20.
Details
MATERIALS: stone with galleted joints, red brick dressings and slate roofs. Extensive use of glazed tiles as an internal wall covering.
End of official list entry
