Lodge Park

 Lodge Park, in Gloucestershire, boasts what is probably the most complete surviving landscape in Britain to have been designed by Charles Bridgman, the renowned landscape architect. The park originated as the deer park of nearby Sherborne House and was used for the sport of deer coursing during the 17th century. The Lodge itself was built, as a The Lodge, built in 1634 as a grandstand for deer coursing spectators. grandstand, for John ‘Crump’ Dutton in 1634. From its roof and broad balcony spectators could watch as the chase took place along the mile-long deer course in front of it. The grandstand was so architecturally imposing that it used to be ascribed to Inigo Jones and it must have impressed Dutton’s gaming companions. Deer coursing went out of fashion in the 18th century and the building eventually became the home of the 7th Baron Sherborne, who bequeathed it and its park to the National Trust in 1982. The Lodge is such a rare survival that the National Trust has restored it fully and returned its internal layout to that of the 1630s.

Until recently, although there had been a lot of interest in the Lodge very little was known about the park, beyond the fact that Bridgman had been commissioned to redesign it. Recently there has been an exciting new discovery of a plan showing his design for the park, dated 1729. This has posed the question as to how much of his elaborate scheme was ever carried out. To help answer this and to assist the National Trust in its work of protecting and caring for the park, English Heritage’s landscape detectives has carried out an analysis and detailed survey of the vast 125 hectares of parkland.

This work has mapped archaeological remains ranging from a finely preserved Neolithic long barrow to an extensive complex of abandoned fields. Vegetation, trees and tree boles from Bridgman’s original planting scheme, have also been examined. Perhaps most interestingly, the work has shed new light on Bridgman’s activities in general, by examining the extent to which he moved earth to modify the natural landform of the park. One area of Lodge Park which The 'Amphitheatre' at Lodge Park was created by moving earth from the foot of a naturally curving slope. has attracted attention is a crescent-shaped hill slope, which has been aptly named ‘the Amphitheatre’. English Heritage’s work has shown that Bridgman created this striking feature by cleverly cutting away earth from the bottom of a natural slope. He skilfully moulded the natural landscape to dramatic effect with the minimum amount of work, and cost. The survey also showed that much of his design of 1729 was actually created and its remains can still be seen.

A copy of the report (ref: AI/21/2005) can be ordered online.

Lodge Park is owned by the National Trust and is open to the public.