Tatton Park

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Coordinates: 53°19′50″N 2°23′01″W / 53.3306°N 2.38356°W / 53.3306; -2.38356
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Tatton Hall and the Italian Garden

Tatton Park is a historic

estate in Cheshire, England, north of the town of Knutsford. It contains a mansion, Tatton Hall; a medieval manor house, Tatton Old Hall; Tatton Park Gardens, a farm and a deer park of 2,000 acres (8.1 km2). It is a popular visitor attraction and hosts over a hundred events annually. The estate is owned by the National Trust and is managed under lease by Cheshire East Council. Since 1999, it has hosted North West England's annual Royal Horticultural Society
flower show.

History

Village

There is evidence of human habitation in the area of the estate going back to the Iron Age. The village of Tatton existed in medieval times. The settlement is now a Deserted medieval village but its buildings and roadways – which are now a scheduled monument – can still be seen as imprints within the estate's parkland.[1]

Old Hall

Main article: Tatton Old Hall

By the end of the 15th century, the land on which the estate was created was owned by the

timber-framed, which was subsequently replaced by brick. It is L-shaped, in two storeys. The floors that had been inserted into the older wing have been removed, revealing the complex wooden roof.[2] The Old Hall stands in grounds surrounded by a wall. Within these grounds is a reconstructed cruck barn. It is timber-framed with brick infill and has a thatched roof. Most of the timber has come from a demolished barn at Clotton Hoofield. The barn has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building.[3]

Tatton Hall

Main article: Tatton Hall

At the end of the 17th century the estate was owned by John Egerton, Sir Thomas' grandson, who built a new house on the site of the present mansion, some 0.75 miles (1 km) to the west of the Old Hall. Work was completed around 1716. From 1758 improvements were made to the house and between the 1770s and 1816 most of it was replaced by the present neoclassical mansion, designed by Samuel Wyatt and his nephew Lewis William Wyatt. Further additions to the house were made in 1861–62 and in 1884. During the late 19th century large house parties were held in the hall, some of them attended by British and foreign royalty.[4]

The mansion contains much of the furniture made for its occupants by the family firm

Van Dyck,[6] Vasari,[8] and many others. The Library contains first editions of two novels by Jane Austen.[9] One room is dedicated to a collection of items from around the world assembled by the last owner of the house, Maurice Egerton. In the family wing are the servants' quarters. These include rooms containing much of the equipment and many of the utensils used to serve the family.[10] The hall is a member of the Historic Houses Association.[11]

This mansion, Tatton Hall, was extensively altered and extended between 1780 and 1813. In 1795 the estate covered 251,000 acres (1,020 km2) (392 sq.miles).

Agriculture

Home Farm

To the north of the mansion is Home Farm, which provided food and building services for the estate. It has been maintained to look much as it did in the 1930s when electricity replaced steam to operate the farm machinery.[12] It is now open as a visitor attraction and contains a variety of farm animals.[13] The farm takes an interest in caring for and breeding rare breeds of farm animals, including Tamworth pigs, Red Poll cows and Leicester Longwool sheep. In 2007 the farm received accreditation by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.[14]

Second World War

Memorial to No. 1 Parachute Training School 1940–1945 at Tatton Park

During

No.1 Parachute Training School RAF based at nearby RAF Ringway. On 6 July 1940, Squadron Leader Louis Strange approached his pre-World War I fellow aviator and friend Maurice Egerton to ask for his co-operation in granting permission for the Royal Air Force to use his estate for this most important wartime purpose. Lord Egerton readily agreed to the proposal and the first live test jumps from aircraft were made on 13 July by RAF parachuting instructors.[15]

Between 1940 and early 1946, approximately 60,000 trainees from the United Kingdom and several European countries, including

Special agents made their first training drops from cages suspended from Barrage balloons
over an open area to the northwest of the hall.

After their initial drops from the balloons, the trainees then boarded aircraft at Ringway for the short flight to overhead Tatton Park, where they jumped in batches of ten, and later twenty, from approximately 800 feet. Some trainees requested 'drops' into Tatton Mere or into the parkland's trees to further prepare them for active operations.[16]

A free-standing stone memorial to Tatton Park's major wartime role in parachute training is located at the far edge of the dropping zone, about 0.6 miles (970 m) to the NW of the hall.

Preservation

The estate remained in the ownership of the Egerton family until the last Lord Egerton died without issue in 1958. In his will, the last Lord Egerton left the house to the National Trust and gave them the park in lieu of death duties. However, as the estate itself was sold by his executors, Cheshire County Council committed to a 99-year lease in place of an endowment to ensure that it was preserved for the benefit of the nation.[17] The Trust's ownership (run now by Cheshire East Council) is some 2,000 acres (8.1 km2) (3.1 sq.miles). The Hall and Park have been developed into a visitor attraction on an increasingly commercial basis.

Features

Gardens

Main article: Tatton Park Gardens

The gardens lie to the south of the hall and consist of formal and more natural gardens. Immediately to the southeast of the hall is the Italian Garden, a formal garden on two

terraces, containing a statue of Neptune as its centrepiece.[18] This garden was designed by Joseph Paxton and laid out by Edward Milner in 1847.[19] After modifications over the years it was restored to its original design in 1986.[20] The present public entrance to the gardens from the stable yard leads into the Walled Garden which contains various buildings, including glasshouses.[21] This garden was restored in the 2000s,[22] and grows varieties of fruit and vegetables which were grown at Tatton in the Edwardian era.[23] To the east of the Kitchen Garden are the Conservatory (previously often known as the Orangery), the Fernery and the Showhouse.[24]

Japanese Garden showing the Shinto Shrine
Copy of Choragic Monument of Lysicrates

Beyond the Kitchen Garden are the "Pleasure Gardens" which were used for the family's enjoyment rather than for utility.

tea house and a bridge over the Golden Brook. The plants, rocks and stones in the garden are arranged to give a natural balance and a mound has been built to resemble Mount Fuji.[29] The garden had become overgrown and it was restored to its former state in the early 2000s.[30]

Parkland

The Knutsford Lodge
A winter sunset at Tatton Park
Tatton Mere
Tatton Park looking northwest with the wartime parachutist landing area in the centre of the image

The parkland consists of 2,000 acres (8.1 km2) of

Humphrey Repton.[31] In the park are two meres; the larger, Tatton Mere, is natural but the other, Melchett Mere, is the consequence of subsidence in the 1920s.[32] The meres are Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Ramsar sites.[33]

The deer park was created by a

Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England.[36]

Around the park are three lodges. To the south leading to Knutsford is Knutsford Lodge. This dates from 1810 and was designed by Lewis Wyatt. It consists of a triple gateway constructed of

acroteria. The archway is semicircular with voussoirs and a scrolled keystone. The outer arches are simple.[37][38]

Rostherne Lodge to the west has a

hexastyle Greek Doric portico. Above this is a full entablature with triglyphs and guttae below. The pediment is plain. The lodge was designed in 1833 by James Hakewill.[32][39]

Listed buildings

Tatton Hall is

listed at Grade I,[40] and the Old Hall is listed at Grade II*.[2] Knutsford Lodge Gateway and Gates are also listed at Grade II*,[38] while Rostherne Lodge is listed at Grade II.[39] A number of items in the gardens and grounds are listed at Grade II, namely the Upper Terrace Wall,[41] the flight of steps between the Intermediate and Lower Terraces,[42] the wall and balustrade of the Lower Terrace,[43] the walls of the Service Court,[44] the pool wall and Triton Fountain in the Lower Terrace,[45] and the Eastern and Western Vases on the Lower Terrace.[46][47]

Events

A programme of events is organised in the hall, garden and parkland.[48] These include the annual RHS Show Tatton Park arranged by the Royal Horticultural Society, car shows, concerts, courses and craft and antique fairs.[49] Tatton Park is also home to one of the seven national Foodies Festivals.[50] Parts of the hall and gardens can be hired for celebrations, weddings, and for conferences and meetings.[51]

See also

References

  1. ^ Historic England, "Tatton medieval settlement, prehistoric settlement remains, the buried remains of Tatton Old Hall and mill dam (1016586)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 8 September 2012
  2. ^ a b Historic England, "Tatton Old Hall (1329674)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 8 September 2012
  3. ^ Historic England, "Cruck Barn at Tatton Old Hall (1278564)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 9 September 2012
  4. ^ a b The History of the Mansion, Tatton Park, retrieved 9 September 2012
  5. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/67319. Retrieved 6 November 2014. (Subscription or UK public library membership
    required.)     (subscription or UK public library membership required)
  6. ^ a b c McKean 1998, p. 26.
  7. ^ McKean 1998, p. 15.
  8. ^ McKean 1998, p. 59.
  9. ^ McKean 1998, p. 31.
  10. ^ McKean 1998, pp. 63–75.
  11. ^ Tatton Park, Historic Houses Association, retrieved 14 June 2018
  12. ^ McKean 1998, pp. 2–3.
  13. ^ The Farm, Tatton Park, retrieved 9 September 2012
  14. ^ A Rare Breeds Farm, Tatton Park, retrieved 9 September 2012
  15. ^ Scholefield 1998, p. 19.
  16. ^ Scholefield 1998, pp. 19–21.
  17. ^ Maurice Egerton 1874 – 1958, Tatton Park, retrieved 8 September 2012
  18. ^ Youd 1998, p. 29.
  19. ^ Groves 2004, p. 64.
  20. ^ Youd 1998, p. 30.
  21. ^ Youd 1998, p. 6.
  22. ^ Groves 2004, p. 67.
  23. ^ Walled Garden, Tatton Park, retrieved 9 September 2012
  24. ^ Youd 1998, pp. 31–34.
  25. ^ Youd 1998, p. 7.
  26. ^ Youd 1998, pp. 22–23.
  27. ^ Youd 1998, pp. 9–15, 26–27.
  28. ^ Youd 1998, pp. 16–17.
  29. ^ Youd 1998, pp. 18–21.
  30. ^ Groves 2004, pp. 66–67.
  31. ^ Tatton Park's Parkland, Tatton Park, retrieved 9 September 2012
  32. ^ a b Pevsner & Hubbard 2003, p. 356.
  33. ^ Nature, Conservation and Meres, Tatton Park, retrieved 9 September 2012
  34. ^ Parkland Livestock, Tatton Park, retrieved 9 September 2012
  35. ^ Tatton Park Visitor Activities, Tatton Park, retrieved 9 September 2012
  36. ^ Historic England, "Tatton Park (1000501)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 8 September 2012
  37. ^ Pevsner & Hubbard 2003, p. 253.
  38. ^ a b Historic England, "Knutsford Lodge Gateway and gates to Tatton Hall (1388387)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 8 September 2012
  39. ^ a b Historic England, "Rostherne Lodge, Tatton Hall (1230274)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 8 September 2012
  40. ^ Historic England, "Tatton Hall (1329670)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 8 September 2012
  41. ^ Historic England, "Upper Terrace wall, Garden before South Front of Tatton Hall (1139532)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 8 September 2012
  42. ^ Historic England, "Flight of steps between intermediate and lower terrace of Garden before South front of Tatton Hall (1230394)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 8 September 2012
  43. ^ Historic England, "Wall and Balustrade of Lower Terrace, Garden before South Front of Tatton Hall (1139534)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 8 September 2012
  44. ^ Historic England, "Walls to Service Court, Tatton Hall (1230409)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 8 September 2012
  45. ^ Historic England, "Pool wall and Triton Fountain in Lower Terrace Garden before South Front of Tatton Hall (1329671)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 8 September 2012
  46. ^ Historic England, "Eastern vase on Lower Terrace Garden before South Front of Tatton Hall (1230399)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 8 September 2012
  47. ^ Historic England, "Western vase on Lower Terrace, Garden before South Front of Tatton Hall (1139533)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 8 September 2012
  48. ^ What's On at Tatton, Tatton Park, retrieved 9 September 2012
  49. ^ RHS Flower Show Tatton Park, Royal Horticultural Society, archived from the original on 31 August 2012, retrieved 9 September 2012
  50. ^ Foodies Festival, Media Company Publications, retrieved 9 September 2012
  51. ^ Celebrations at Tatton Park, Tatton Park, retrieved 9 September 2012

Bibliography

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53°19′50″N 2°23′01″W / 53.3306°N 2.38356°W / 53.3306; -2.38356

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