Walled garden and attached glasshouse at Ombersley Court

Summary

Walled kitchen garden with potting sheds and attached glasshouse, constructed to the designs of John Webb from c1812.

Reasons for Designation

The walled garden and attached glasshouse at Ombersley Court, Worcestershire, dating from c1812 and designed by John Webb, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an early example of a detached walled garden and glasshouse before the considerable expansion of the erection of the structures in the mid-C19;
* Degree of survival: despite the loss of a large proportion of the glass on the glasshouse, all of the structures, including the potting sheds and heated walls appear to survive intact;
* Group value: as a walled garden and glasshouse that survives along with the context of Ombersley Court (listed Grade I), the Stable Block (listed Grade II*) and much of the designed landscape (registered at Grade II).

History

The kitchen garden at Ombersley Court was erected from around 1812 to designs by the architect and landscape gardener John Webb, who at that time was carrying out extensive works at Ombersley for the then owner, the Marchioness of Downshire. Along with the construction of the walled garden, these works also included the refacing of Ombersley Court (Grade I) and the construction of the Stable Block (Grade II*).

The new kitchen garden replaced an earlier garden associated with the 1730s house at Ombersley, and was part of a much wider programme of works which included landscaping the wider park, providing new drives and the laying out of the pleasure grounds. A letter of 1812 describes the kitchen garden as partially built, and awaiting completion following the realignment of the Holt Fleet turnpike road, which was to be moved further to the north and away from the house and garden.

The garden survives substantially intact with all of the walls appearing to survive in good condition. Inside the smaller walled area within are the remains of a glasshouse, which historic mapping shows to have been one of a number of glasshouses, lost presumably in the C20. The iron-framed structure of the glasshouse attached to the south of the kitchen garden survives largely intact, although the glazing now only survives on the front elevation.

Details

Walled kitchen garden with potting sheds and attached glasshouse, constructed to the designs of John Webb in 1812.

MATERIALS: constructed of brick and stone, with potting sheds with slate roof and the remains of an iron-framed glasshouse.

PLAN: the walled kitchen garden is rectangular in plan and encloses a smaller rectangular walled garden with potting sheds and a glasshouse range running along the outside of the S wall. There is also a further slip garden to the E, which features an additional enclosure at its NE corner. The walled garden is located 90m NW from Ombersley House (Grade I) and is orientated NE-SW with the glasshouse facing over lawns to the S.

DESCRIPTION: the walled kitchen garden is constructed of brick in English Garden Wall Bond. The walls are capped with coping stones on all four sides and have stone piers at regular intervals, some of which may be chimney flues for the partially heated walls. The kitchen garden is a large structure with the walls roughly measuring 110m by 75m, and is accessed via an opening on the E elevation which also leads to a further enclosed area in the S portion. At various points around the walled garden there are a number of timber doors with segmental arches that provide further access. The N elevation of the enclosed kitchen garden features a sunken planting area which would have originally been covered by a glasshouse. The S wall is taller than the other walls and is ramped at both the W and E ends. Attached to the S wall is a long range with lean-to slate roof; the E end of this range features individual potting sheds with casement windows whilst the W end is open with the roof supported by timber posts. Situated above the range are a series of shuttered openings giving access to the glasshouse on the other side of the wall. This glasshouse is situated on the S side of the S wall, so as to receive maximum sunlight, and is a large structure, at roughly 40m in length.

The glasshouse features an entrance with wide shallow steps on its W elevation. The building consists of an ashlar plinth capped with coping stones supporting iron posts and wall plate. Small paned windows survive on the S elevation. Iron rafters support purlins that run along the length of the structure and feature fittings that would have held glazing bars. The N elevation of the glasshouse features brick arcades with stone plinth and is a further heated wall with chimney flues.

A slip garden, which would have grown hardier produce, is situated to the E of the main walled garden. The slip garden is also constructed of brick walls which are lower in height than the rest of the walled garden.

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, Brooks, A, The Buildings of England: Worcestershire, (2007), 508-509

Other
Worlledge Associates, Heritage Statement of Significance: Ombersley Court, Worcestershire, November 2016
Country Life, Issues 2920, 2921 and 2922, January 1953
Ombersley Inclosure Plan c.1827, s143/56a B307/56

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