Introduction
An early 20th century formal garden situated within an earlier park.
- Visitor Access, Directions & Contacts
Access contact details
01 582 763133 http://www.rothamsted.ac.uk
Directions
Take the B487 from Harpenden.
Owners
Rothamsted Research Ltd/Institute of Arable Crop Research, Rothamsted
Other Websites
- History
The layout of an existing garden was reshaped between 1647-1653 by Sir John Wittewronge (1618-93). He created a garden outside a loggia on the west front, and an orchard, later kitchen garden, to the north. A fir grove planted about 1665 was formalised as a wilderness in 1721. Sir John Bennet Lawes, who started agricultural experiments on the estate in 1843, altered the western gardens to a parterre, cut a vista through the wilderness and undertook extensive planting in the park beyond. In the 1900s the vista was formalised, with hedges, and terminated at a circle around a large sculptural group.
- Features & Designations
Style
Formal
Features
- Parterre
- Formal garden
- Parkland
- Key Information
Type
Park
Purpose
Ornamental
Principal Building
Education
Survival
Part: standing remains
Open to the public
Yes
Civil Parish
Harpenden