(Site of) 18th-century formal garden to east of the main house, Calke Abbey

Summary

The formal gardens of Calke Abbey were laid out in the early 18th century and this programe of expansion probably began with a formal garden being created on the east side of the house in 1710-15, known as the 'best garden'. The formal gardens are no longer visible as they were replaced by a 'naturalistic' pleasure ground by the 1770s.

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Description

[1] Much of the former formal gardens at Calke have now been lost. They were laid out in the 18th century and were focused to the east and south of the main house. A plan of the Calke estate by Samuel Wyatt, dated 1761, shows a walled formal garden to the east of the house and a square ‘parterre’ garden to the south-east (NTSMR 69669) with several orchards to the east.

The formal garden to the east of the house was known as the ‘best garden’ and is thought to have been laid out between 1710-15. This can be seen on the 1761 plan and is contained by a triple curved wall at its eastern end. Part of this stone-built wall survives (SMR No. 61172).

In the 1770s the formal gardens were cleared and the remnants incorporated into the current ‘naturalistic’ pleasure ground seen today. The pleasure ground itself was extended eastwards in 1816 when the sunken wall and fence were constructed (61123). Gravelled walks were laid out along its northern and eastern sides and the fence and wall were interrupted in two places where the coach roads to the main house were made (SNA67084 - Marshall, G. 1988: 227, Vol 1).

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