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Little Grove

Introduction

Traces of a C17th/C18th walled kitchen garden remain in private gardens on Cat Hill, once part of the gardens of Little Grove estate. Owned from 1674-8 by the widow of the Stuart diplomat and gardener Sir Richard Fanshawe, the estate was acquired by John Cotton in 1719 who built a house to the south of Cat Hill. In 1767 the then owner Judge Edward Willes commissioned Capability Brown to lay out the park. In 1932 the house was demolished and a housing estate constructed along Cat Hill and across the park.

On 15 July 1674 Henry Parker the Younger, in conjunction with his mother and her 2nd husband, conveyed the Little Grove estate to Anne, widow of the Stuart diplomat and gardener Sir Richard Fanshawe. On her death in 1680, in accordance with her will, the house and gardens were sold. In 1719 the estate was acquired by John Cotton who built a house immediately to the south of Cat Hill. In the 1730s the estate changed hands twice and in 1767 it was bought by Judge Edward Willes, the Solicitor General, who commissioned Capability Brown to lay out the park from 1768-1770. In 1932 the house was demolished and a housing estate constructed along Cat Hill and across the park. The only trace of the C17th/C18th garden consists of two and a half sides of a walled kitchen garden and sections of a formal box hedge that subdivided this enclosed area.
Visitor Access, Directions & Contacts
Associated People
Features & Designations

Plant Environment

  • Environment
  • Walled Garden
Key Information

Type

Garden

Purpose

Ornamental

Plant Environment

Environment

Principal Building

Domestic / Residential

Survival

Part: standing remains

References

Contributors

  • London Parks and Gardens Trust