NHER 30501 (Monument record) - Gawdy Hall Park and Garden

The earliest map is from 1734 (S2). It shows Gawdy Hall (NHER 10777), but no parkland. Instead, the Hall is surrounded by fields. The only parkland feature is a long avenue, called ‘Fore Close’, stretching from the east of the Hall to the west edge of ‘Peast House Green’ common. The Hall is surrounded to the north, west, and south by a moat.
The 1789 estate map (S1) shows developed parkland incorporating the fields to the north, west and east of the Hall, from the 1734 map. The internal field boundaries have been altered making the fields larger and less irregularly shaped. The field names were changed, indicating their use as parkland, e.g. ‘Ladies Lawn’, west of the Hall. Woods were also planted creating parkland. The moat, now only west of the Hall, was developed into a serpentine lake after 1734. The avenue on the 1734 map is no longer present. The original westwards driveway to the Hall vanished and two new entrances from the south and east built. The wood has two moats; one, ‘Old Harsted’, in the north-east corner (NHER 11063), and another positioned south, just outside the wood (NHER 11100). This map shows formal gardens west of the Hall in front of the lake and indicates a kitchen garden, south-west of the Hall.
Faden’s 1794 map (S3) shows an extended southern entrance driveway which sweeps northwards to and past the Hall, leaving the park to the south-east.
During the first half of the 19th century, two strips of common land, ‘Peast House Green’ and ‘Hawkers Green’ are enclosed within the park. The formal gardens are removed and replaced by Pleasure Grounds. The 1839 Tithe map (S4) shows trees planted to block the two moats from view, as they are adjacent to the driveways. The kitchen garden was rebuilt further west.
The 1906 Ordnance Survey 6 inch map (S5) shows small woodland clumps added to the park, particularly east of the Hall, and the continuous tree belt on the eastern edge of the park was extended south reaching the east driveway shown on the 1906 map. The lake was extended south incorporating a pond which had been a part of the stable yard, and a boathouse was built. Within the woodland to the south and north-west, straight walks were inserted. The north woodland had its south edge filled out creating a straight edge.
In 1938 the estate was sold and soon after the Hall was demolished. Today, part of the northern fields are under plough or used as a poultry farm. There are some exotic trees, Wellingtonia and Corsican which date to at least 1906, but most is oak.
Historic Parkland on NCC (Norfolk County Council) Inventory of Parks, but not included in English Heritage HBMC (Historic Buildings and Monuments Commision) Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.
See (S1), (S2), (S3), (S4), (S5) and (S6).
E. Rose (NLA), 17 March 1994.
Updated by C.Hurst (UEA) 8 November 2011.