Honington Hall deer park (16th/17th century)

Description of this historic site

The site of a formal garden and a deer park, associated with Honington Hall, both dating to the Post Medieval period. They are known from documentary evidence and are located to the north of Honington.

Notes about this historic site

1 At Honington, the seat of the Townsend family, was a small park or paddock as appears by Buck’s print of the house in 1731.
2 No evidence of a pale seen during investigation.
3 Buck’s illustration shows rectilinear gardens surrounding the early 18th century house and stretching down to the River Stour on the western side. These were abolished during the 18th century landscaping.
4 Marked as a ‘new park’ on Beighton’s map of 1725.
5 In addition to the formal gardens around the 1682 house and stretching down to the river, there was a park to the north of the house. This contained formal avenue planting and a lodge, which survives. The park may have been created c1540 by Robert Gibbes, who is said to have enclosed 60 acres of land.
6 Emparkment first occurred in the 16th century, when 60 acres of arable was converted to grass. The 1685 hall replaced an earlier building. The deer keeper’s lodge, in the north part of the park, is of mid – late17th century date.

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