Debden Park (EHER 80726)

Debden Park is a late 18th century landscape garden surrounding Debden Hall (EHER 252). The park is now in divided ownership. It is not clear exactly when the park was laid out, but the hall to which it belonged dated from the late 18th century and was demolished in 1936.

The Essex Gardens Trust have undertaken considerable research on Debden Hall and Park, and the following is an extract from their Inventory: LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING Debden Hall (EHER 252) stood 0.3kms north-west of Debden parish church, towards the bottom of a south-facing hillside into which it was partly cut, with views to south and west over the long curved lake. The site is surrounded on three sides (north, west and south) by a valley (flooded to form a lake) with undulating countryside beyond. The distant view is closed by woodland belts on the higher ground beyond. The estate covered about 53 hectares and is now divided between three farms. ENTRANCES AND APPROACHES The main approach was from Newport lodge on the northern edge of the park. This is a single storey polygonal building in gault brick with gothic windows, now much enlarged. The first section of drive runs through a woodland belt, flanked by some surviving yew trees which show no evidence of having been cut as a hedge. After crossing a utilitarian brick culvert, it climbs the hill between a line of lime trees, with open parkland on each side. The mansion would not have been visible until after reaching the crown of the hill. At the bottom of the hill, the drive bifurcates. One section, now overgrown, turned west to the front of the house, the other continues past the stables, crossing the lake over a 19th century three-arch bridge (recently covered with a concrete slab). It continues up the slope on the other side through former parkland and woodland to join a track between Waldegraves Farm and Rook End. PRINCIPAL BUILDINGS The mansion (dating from at least two different periods) was demolished in 1936 after a period of decline, and only its cellars remain visible. A small cube shaped building in gault brick, with a hipped plain tile roof (said to have been a game larder), and an intact icehouse, survive just north of the footprint of the mansion. To the south-east is an unusual and very substantial, two storey, red brick stable block in Flemish bond, probably early 18th century, but worthy of further investigation. It is roofed with concrete pantiles. The symmetrical façade of the bailiff’s house (dated 1783 in the external plaster), the yard and the buildings of Hall Farm are on higher ground 0.3kms norht-east of the mansion site. These are of red brick and plastered timber frame, and the fine red brick double height courtyard gateway arch is dated 1782. GARDENS AND PLEASURE GROUNDS A dense plantation of spruce now obscures the area to the south of the mansion. There is a large area of red dogwood on the western edge of the mansion footprint. To the west and east the mansion overlooked parkland. The pleasure grounds lay on the rising slope to the north of the house and are now very overgrown with no surviving evidence of how they were separated from the surrounding park (presumably by a fence, as there are no signs of a ha-ha). There is faint evidence of paths, possibly lined by some of the surviving yew trees and overgrown box bushes. There is a substantial beech (roughly in the centre) and a smaller circular planting of the same (possibly originally a clipped feature). Other survivors include clematis (most probably cultivars, although they could be wild), laurel, snowberry and butcher’s broom (Ruscus aculeatus). There are a number of large yews (plus the stumps and fallen trunks of others) on the western side of the pleasure ground, possibly the remains of an avenue or walk. It is not clear how the rear of the kitchen court, the game larder and icehouse were screened from the pleasure grounds. PARK This principally lies west and south of the mansion site, divided by the long curved lake. The latter was formed by building a dam with an outflow at the NW angle, and is fed by a stream coming in at each end. There is a considerable amount of silting, and the level has been lowered by about 1.5m in recent years to meet water authority requirements. There is no evidence of the former island. The boathouse had become dilapidated and was demolished in recent years. West and north of the mansion, the park is still grassland with some mature freestanding timber (lime, cedar of Lebanon, beech and acer). On the other side of the lake, between it and the distant woodland belts to south and west, the land is now arable and has lost its parkland trees, apart from one clump due S. A path, with remains of post and rail fence on each side, runs from S of the stable block to the churchyard. The church is extensively embellished with late 18th century Gothic decorative details such as pinnacles and battlement parapets). Though now partly concealed by trees (including some large churchyard yews), it was clearly intended to be seen from across the lake as ornamental feature, as well as demonstrating the benevolence of the patron. A tall thin spire (replaced in 1930 when it was in danger of collapse on the west end of the church) would have increased its visual impact in the landscape. North of the path to the church is a group of acers, one of which has a curious tripartite shape above pollard height. Another acer north of the pleasure grounds is a similar shape, presumably man-made. The peripheral woodland belts were not examined, but from a distance are deciduous with occasional conifers. Information from <1>. Mapped to extent depicted on <2>.