NHER 30505 (Designed Landscape record) - Great Melton Park

Historic Parkland on Norfolk County Council Inventory of Parks (S1), but not included in Register of Historic Parks and Gardens (S2).Great Melton Park surrounded the now demolished Melton Hall (NHER 9227). (S3) is the first map that shows the parkland. It is probable that the park came into existence in the 1770s or 1780s. The east-west road through the park was closed by a Road Order in 1768 (see (S2) for more details). Another Road Order of 1776 (See (S2) for more details) closed a road through the south east of the park which still survives as a hollow way. However the evidence of three sweet chestnuts with girths of 6 to 7 metres, and therefore a probable planting date of the 17th Century are evidence that some sort of pleasure ground probably existed before the proper creation of a park. There is a substantial dovehouse, a brick octagonal structure with a concical pantile roof and open pyramidal top, which is probably mid or perhaps early 18th century (NHER 9227).
The first comprehensive survey of the estate dated between 1817 and 1837 (see (S2) for more details), shows the layout of woods trees and drives similar in almost every detail to that shown on (S4). However there was an increase in the number of trees within the park especially in the south. The trees in this area reflect this new planting having girths of around 2.5 and 4 metres, suggesting two waves of planting in the 1840 and 1880s. The public road running along the northern side of the park was removed in 1821, presumably to provide greater privacy. By the 1830s there were also a number of formal garden features, but there are now no traces of these.
There are a number of features still visible associated with the service and kitchen garden area to the south-west of the ruins of the old hall. These include an enclosing wall of 19th Century date, cottages, stables and the site of the 19th Century kitchen garden.
During the 20th Century the northern and western areas of the park were under arable cultivation, which has helped preserve the trees and earthworks (NHER 21294) in the south and east of the park.
See NHER 21294 for pre park earthworks; main east to west drive also follows line of old road. See NHER 16258 for rectangular cropmark.
E. Rose (NLA), 17 March 1994.
Updated by E. Nicholl (UEA), 8 November 2011.

22 July 1993. NLA aerial photography.
Photographs show grounds of park and Melton Hall.
S. Massey (NLA), 31 January 2001.

June 2010. Norfolk NMP.
See NHER 53665 for cropmarks and earthworks within the park.
S. Tremlett (NMP), 14 June 2010.