Early 18th century landscaped garden, Coopersale House (EHER 46289)

Landscaped gardens to Coopersale House (EHER 33554), a villa constructed by the end of the 17th century. The gardens cover an area of 11 hectares and comprise pleasure grounds and remains of a landscape park. The grounds were first documented in the 1730s when extensive landscaping took place, the work was carried out by Adam Holt. Features included a pond and walks. Further work involving Lancelot Brown may have taken place in 1774.

LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM AND SETTING: The approximately 11ha site lies to the west of the public road, Houblon Hill, which links the settlement of Coopersale 250m to the north, to Coopersale Street 100m to the south, the road forming the eastern boundary of the property. The southern boundary is defined by Stonards Hill/Coopersale Road, the public road joining Coopersale Street with Epping 1km to the northwest. To the west and north the grounds merge with arable farmland, the wider setting to east and south also being agricultural. ENTRANCES AND APPROACHES: The main drive leads southwest off Houblon Hill, through wooded shrubbery to the turning circle below the east front of the house. From the same entrance point, a back drive leads to the outbuildings and farm (outside the area here registered). The south entrance which continued the line of the public road north from Coopersale Street, is no longer in use. The public road now swings eastward at this point, the house and associated buildings marking its former line. It was moved eastward to its present position following authorisation of the diversion in 1770, around the time that Brown visited the site. GARDENS AND PLEASURE GROUNDS: From the turning circle the ground falls eastward as rough grass to the line of the road. This area had been worked to form a valley (Debois 1995), and raised east bank of which carries the eye over the surface of the public land (now divided from the bank by a hedge). Long views extend towards Hill Hall (EHER X); the views south are across the falling ground to the lake, approximately 60m from the house, which forms the dominant feature in the grounds. A walk leads south from the narrow terrace (early 20th century) which lies below the south front, following the line of the old road southwards to the lake. From here it continues across the substantial dam which retains the water along the east and south sides. Partway along the eastern bank stands a pair of gate piers, beyond which is an area of small woodland which forms the backdrop to the walk. To the northwest of the main lake is a smaller pond, planter up in early 20th century as a Japanese Garden. A walk leads eastwards from here back up to the house; along its route are the earthwork remains of 20th century additions to the ground include a tennis court and lawn. The main circuit walk continues from the pond northwards to the kitchen garden. Ditched to either side, it passes through mature shrubbery planting, the ditches separating the path from, to the west the parkland, and to the east the paddock which occupies an approximately 2ha area above and to the north is a band of shrubbery, notable trees above the evergreen understorey include Cedar of Lebanon and Holm Oak. PARK: To the west of the pleasure grounds lie arable fields scattered with specimen oaks, visually terminated to the west by the wooded belt marking the line of a railway. The former park appears to have extended westward beyond this to the line of the current (1997) public footpath, thus in two blocks of woodland. Andrew and Drury's map of 1807 however shows no parkland beyond that just west lake, this also being the position as shown on the first edition OS map surveyed in 1873-1874. Although the area is outside that here registered, it remains an important part of the setting of the pleasure grounds. KITCHEN GARDEN HISTORIES: The approximately 0.75ha kitchen garden, which occupies the northwest corner of the site to the west of the farm, is a brick wall enclosure. A plan for the 'new kitchen garden' survives (Houblon-Acher archive), dated 1758, the kitchen garden prior to this having been contained within two long thin triangles of land to the north of the lake. <1> NRHE data transfer: Landscaped gardens to Coopersale House (EHER 33554), a villa constructed by the end of the 17th century. The gardens cover an area of 11 hectares and comprise pleasure grounds and remains of a landscape park. The grounds were first documented in the 1730s when extensive landscaping took place, the work was carried out by Adam Holt. Features included a pond and walks. Further work involving Lancelot Brown may have taken place in 1774. <2>