Upton Park

1 Parkland surrounding Upton House containing features from the 17th to the 20th century, including: pleasure grounds with avenue drive, lawns, terraces, ponds, woodland, kitchen garden, Temple Pool and chain of smaller pools, pavilion (probably a late 17th century banqueting house). Terraces south of house are probably 17th century, remodelled c1925 by Morley Horder. 20th century planting by Kitty Lloyd Jones. Temple Pool and temple possibly by Sanderson Miller (1745).
2 Upton House was built 1695, incorporating an earlier house, and several times enlarged thereafter. A formal layout surrounded the 17th century house, and several rectangular pools survive from that period. In the mid 18th century landscaping was carried out, possibly by Sanderson Miller, and this work included the Temple Pool. Significant works were carried out by Percy Morley Horder on the house in the early 20th century, and at the same time new formal gardens were laid out on terraces south of the house; these include planting and special features such as the bog garden by Kitty Lloyd Jones. National Trust property since 1948.
3 An estate plan of 1774 survives; this shows a number of features which had probably survived from the 1688 formal layout by Sir Rushout Cullen, including terraces, the remains of an avenue, a formal kitchen garden and rectangular fishponds. One of the ponds houses the present bog garden, and late 17th/ early 18th walls and other structures still survive – the brick gardener’s house was probably a late 17th century garden banqueting house. By 1774 landscaping work had taken place elsewhere in the park, notably the creation of the northern avenue, and of the Temple Pool and Tuscan Temple (probably by Sanderson Miller): the Temple originally stood at the north end of the pool, and was flanked by chains of smaller pools. The estate was neglected in the 19th century and photographs show the gardens in an overgrown condition. The early 20th century creation of formal gardens took place within the framework of the earlier gardens, though some new terraces were created. The plant specialist Kitty Lloyd Jones was responsible for much of the detailed work in the gardens in the 1930s, including the creation of the bog garden. Upton is the only example of a garden designed and planted by Kitty Lloyd Jones which is in the care of the National Trust, and is one of an important group of Warwickshire sites at which Percy Morley Horder worked.
4 Some garden and landscape features, including the remains of an avenue, are visible on the OS 1:10560 1886 Sht Warks 52SW.
5 There are few changes visible on the OS 1:10560 1928 Sht Warks 52SW. The overall extent of the park is not clearly marked.
6 Park shown on Greenwood’s map of 1822.