NHER 31636 (Designed Landscape record) - High House Park

The first map of the site is from 1726 (S4). High House (NHER 3887) is shown to be surrounded by fields. Directly north and south of the House are enclosed areas, probably gardens and north-east are a series of farm buildings. It is not known when the park was laid out, but the first map to show the park was Faden’s map (S5) surveyed in 1794. A tree survey indicated that the park was started in the second half of the 18th century. Faden’s map shows the park to be c.45 hectares. There are three blocks of woodland in the north-west, south-west and south-east corners of the park. The drive to the House comes from the west.
The c.1815 Draught Ordnance Survey map (S1) shows that the park extended after 1794 in several directions to c.75 hectares. By c.1815, the drive was at the south of the House. There is a circular feature west of the Hall, possibly ornamental planting around the kitchen garden. The park continued to expand as the 1824 Ordnance survey map (S6) shows. The area between the park and the west road was planted up, and given a serpentine edge inside the park. A flint faced, walled Ha-Ha was built inside the edge of this tree belt. The park expanded north-east and south-east. The north-east corner was edged with trees. The old drives were removed and two new drives were built, which crossed the park to the House from the south-west and south-east corners. This map shows the circular feature with a rectangular feature within, the kitchen garden. By 1824 the park was c.125 hectares. By the late 19th century, the kitchen garden was extended north with a large semi-circular wall. It was surrounded by woodland.
The 1906 6 inch Ordnance Survey map (S7) shows that the south-west and west tree belts were extended to meet at the south-west drive. A small block of woodland was planted south-west of the northern Hall Farm (NHER 2149), screening it from view of the House. There is an Icehouse (NHER 3888) west of the kitchen garden.
Within the last c.100 years there has been replanting, and today the park covers c.130 hectares. There is a horseshoe shape earthwork directly north of the House, probably a garden feature, demolished before 1815. The majority of trees are Limes and oaks.
See NAU aerial photographs.
See (S1), (S4), (S5), (S6) and (S7).
E. Rose (NLA) 7 December 1995.
Updated by C. Hurst (UEA), 14 November 2011.

December 1996. Earthwork Survey.
Survey at 1:2500 for all features in grassland, with survey at 1:1000 for those to north of High House.
Includes brick kiln sites.
See report (S3) for further details and copy of plan (S8). This survey is also noted in (S9).
B. Cushion (NLA) January 1997. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 8 April 2015.

1997.
Possible very slight ridge and furrow in enclosure 'A' on park survey, aligned east to west.
Not surveyed.
1 pottery sherd 20m northeast of southeast corner of enclosure 'A'.
Identified by A. Rogerson (NLA) as sandy fabric, sparsely flint gritted. Iron Age or Early Saxon.
B. Cushion (NLA) February 1997.