Issue 46 April 25 web - Flipbook - Page 12
Unveiling Oxburgh Hall
Gardens: A Tapestry of Time
by Brilliana Harley, Senior Heritage and Landscape Consultant
south of the Hall is not immediately apparent. Wass’
earthwork survey and study of historic maps and LiDAR
provided the first focused attempt to unravel the complex
layers of landscaping in this location. Findings included
curious, partially levelled earthworks comprising a circular
roundel and a large quadripartite enclosure, representing
an aborted attempt to create a formal garden in the 18th
century. Evidence of a carriage drive to the south of
the Hall, abandoned due to boggy ground, was also
discovered.
Echoes of History: The Evolution of Oxburgh's
Gardens
The gardens at Oxburgh Estate are a richly layered
designed landscape, enhancing the setting of the 15thcentury Oxburgh Hall while holding valuable stories of
their own. Some themes become apparent upon a single
visit, while others reveal themselves through closer
inspection, archival study, and archaeological analysis.
The piecemeal garden developments reflect the
fluctuating fortunes of the Bedingfeld family, who resided
at Oxburgh for six centuries and retain a flat on site. The
family endured strict penalties as a Catholic recusant family and suffered as Royalists during the Civil War. These
tumultuous times were interspersed with periods of royal
favour, a baronetcy, and injections of money through
marriages and inheritance. The landscape developments
mirror the family's political status, directly associated with
its Catholicism.
While the Recusancy Acts of the 16th, 17th and 18th
centuries did not entirely stifle landscape developments,
they may have limited the scale or extent of changes,
characterised by a piecemeal quality over this period. The
Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829 coincided with major
works and restoration of the landscape by Henry Bedingfeld and Margaret Paston, including the construction
of the chapel, celebrating new Catholic liberties.
Stephen Wass of Polyolbion Archaeology conducted
research and analysis for the CMP, focusing on the archaeology of lost features within the gardens. To the casual
visitor, the archaeological layering of the landscape to the
Below, view of Oxburgh Hall framed by a mature beech
tree from My Lady’s Wood
Conservation & Heritage Journal
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