Mote Park
Mote Park | |
---|---|
Type | Public park |
Location | Maidstone, Kent |
Coordinates | 51°15′53″N 0°32′47″E / 51.2646°N 0.5463°E |
Area | 440-acre (1.8 km2) |
Operated by | Maidstone Borough Council |
Status | Open year round |
Mote Park is a 440-acre (1.8 km2) multi-use public
The house is set in a 450 acres (1.8 km2) park maintained by Maidstone Borough Council with support from the Mote Park Fellowship, a group of volunteers.[1]
History
The park's name is derived from 'moot' or 'mote' in
In the 13th century, the "mote" lands were incorporated into the manor of local landowners and a
The park is incorporated into royal history as a possession of King
Under the ownership of the Marsham family, the estate was considerably improved.
On Thursday, August the 1st, 1799, King
Between 1793 and 1800 the original Mote House was demolished and a new mansion constructed, designed by
At the peak of its opulence in 1888 an article in the Gardener's Chronicle described extensive gardens, exotic plants and a walled kitchen garden including orangeries, vineries and peach houses, staffed by 25 gardeners.
In 1895 the estate was sold to Marcus Samuel, 1st Viscount Bearsted. The estate had included the Mote Cricket Club since 1857, and Viscount Bearsted expanded the facility, building a pavilion between 1908 and 1910. (see below).
In 1929
Between 1932 and 1941, Mote House (known then as "The Mote") was home to the
In 1941, war forced the Caldecott Community to evacuate to Hyde House in
The park itself was remodelled following its purchase in the 1930s and now contains a number of recreation facilities (see
The park is registered at Grade II on the
The park also hosted
In 2011, it was announced that the parkland would undergo a major conservation and improvement project. Lost historic views were to be recreated as part of a £2.5m scheme.
In 2013 the park was awarded a Green Flag Award recognising high standards in park maintenance and management. In a subsequent public vote open to those parks awarded green flags, Mote Park was named third most popular nationally behind only Margam Country Park in south Wales and Victoria Park, London from a field of 1,448 qualifying open spaces.[24][25]
Cricket ground
Mote Park Cricket Ground is owned by The Mote Cricket Club and is also used by Maidstone rugby club.[26][27] Up until 2005, it was used annually by Kent County Cricket Club as one of their out-grounds. After 140 consecutive years of play, Mote Park was taken off the list of county grounds used after a low scoring game that ended in under two days incurred a points deduction from the England and Wales Cricket Board.[28] The facilities had only months before been approved for redevelopment as part of a larger scheme to increase the profile of cricket in the county town.[29]
Since that time, The Mote Cricket Club have relaid a number of wickets at a cost of £14,000 with the help of grants and technical assistance from the county cricket club and Maidstone Borough Council..[30]
Facilities
- Three car parks
- Public Toilets
- Adventure play-zone
- Maidstone Leisure Centre
- Miniature railway - Maidstone Model Engineering Society
- Cafeteria
- Angling club
- Sailing club
- Association football pitches
- Rugby pitches
- Cricket ground
- Cycling routes
- BMX Track
- Skate Park
- Squash club
- Disused tether car racing track[31]
References
- ^ "Mote Park Fellowship".
- ^ Entry for 'Moot' at Dictionary.com
- ^ a b c Entry for Maidstone (referencing Mote Park) in the Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72) by John Marius Wilson
- ^ History of Mote Park at Maidstone Borough Council
- ^ a b England's Topographer: Or A New and Complete History of the County of Kent by William Henry Ireland pages 634 to 638 (Published 1829)
- ^ a b Park The town and parish of Maidstone: Town and manors, The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 4 by Edward Hasted (1798), pages 260-307
- ^ p.440, David Starkey, Six Wives:The Queens of Henry VIII
- ^ Jones' Views of the Seats, Mansions, Castles, Etc. of Noblemen and Gentlemen in England:: Accompanied with Historical Descriptions of the Mansions, Lists of Pictures, Statues, &c. and Genealogical Sketches of the Families, of Their Possessorsfuker Forming Part of the General Series of Jones' Great Britain Illustrated, ... Jones & Company. 1829. pp. 137–.
- ^ "The Royal Review: Mote Park, 1799 Pages 446-452 The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 10. Originally published by W Bristow, Canterbury, 1800". British History Online.
- ^ The Beauties of England and Wales, Or, Delineations, Topographical by John Britton and others (Published 1808) at Google Books
- ^ A detailed description of the review from Public Characters of 1805 by Alexander Stephens (1805) at Google Books
- ^ per Ireland (supra), pages 692-695
- ^ "Walk Maidstone - Mote Park" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 October 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
- ^ Kent in the Twentieth Century by Nigel Yates (2001) page 360, at Google Books
- ^ Kent Showground History Archived June 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Mote House Development Brief: Record Of Decision Of The Cabinet Member For Transport And Planning Policy Archived 2003-05-30 at the Wayback Machine Maidstone Borough Council decision dated 7 November 2001
- ^ English Heritage: Buildings at Risk Register 2007
- ^ "BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
- ^ a b "Recreating historic views at Mote Park in Maidstone". BBC News. 24 January 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
- ^ "Mote Park Improvement Project". Maidstone Borough Council. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
- ^ "Gallagher spearheads £2.5m facelift for Mote Park". kentonline.co.uk. 20 September 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
- ^ "Mote Park Improvement Project". Maidstone Borough Council. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
- ^ "Mote Park Restoration Project". Maidstone Borough Council. Archived from the original on 8 March 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
- ^ "Most loved Green Flag Award park is crowned as thousands vote". Greenflag.keepbritaintidy.org. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
- ^ "Nations Third Favourite Park - Maidstone Borough Council". Maidstone.gov.uk. 10 October 2013. Archived from the original on 25 October 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
- ^ "The Mote CC - About Us". The Mote Cricket Club. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
- ^ "Maidstone Rugby Club". Maidstone Rugby Club. Archived from the original on 27 January 2010. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
- ^ Kent end 140-year Maidstone deal from BBC Sport 30 September 2005
- ^ Major changes for cricket ground from BBC Sport 2 June 2005
- ^ "Redevelopment may lead to Kent's Mote return". Kent Messenger. 26 June 2008. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
- ^ "History of Tethered Cars".
External links
- Mote Park - Maidstone Borough Council
- Facebook page for the Mote Park Fellowship
- Twitter page for the Mote Park Fellowship