NHER 56859 (Monument record) - Abbey House Park, Walsingham

ABBEY HOUSE PARK, WALSINGHAM
19th century park. (S2) suggests the area was already in the process of being embellished. The park was mostly established by Daniel Henry Lee Warner in the early 1800s. Lee warner employed John Haverfield as landscape gardener and architect and he is mainly responsible for the design of the landscape.

A road diversion order of 1805 formalised the creation of a Sunken road from which the park was entered and a new route for the Thursford Road including the moving of the Pack Horse Bridge (NHER 56860) northwards. The enclosure map shows that these were in place by 1812 along with a lodge at the northern end of the Sunk Road. This allowed creation of a lake by damming the River Stiffkey (NHER 56864) and a carriage drive over the Stiffkey Bridge (NHER 56862). The park was laid out by the time Bryants map was published in 1826, including the walled garden and gardeners cottage, plantations, footbridges, lodges and an icehouse. A map of the estate was drawn up in 1836 showing these features and the park is mentioned in (S3) and (S4). The park is shown at its fullest extent on the 1891 Ordnance map (S5).

The lake disappeared at the beginning of the 20th century and the ice house was partly demolished in 1927. After World War Two parts of the outlying parkland was returned to arable and the grounds were opened to the public more often.

The current extent of the park is c. 52 ha although part is now given over to agricultural use. In some fields small numbers of parkland trees survive. Close to Abbey House the park reflects 19th century developments of the landscape into a 'naturalistic' park. Woodland walks extend out towards the edges of the park, famous for their snowdrops. The lake area has retreated back to wet grassland and been planted with poplars. A second entrance at the southern tip of the park is now only used for farm access. The early 19th century walled kitchen garden still stands in the middle of the park and is screened from the Abbey by the ornamental Garden Plantation. A small area close to Abbey House is retained as a private garden although the park has been open to the public since the 1920s.
Information from (S1, S6, S7 and S8). The park is visible on S9 and S10.
ORIGINALLY PART OF NHER 2029.
K. Powell (HES), 22 March 2012.

26 August 1997. NLA air photography.
Remains of St Mary's Priory, Abbey House and park all visible.
H. Clare (NLA), 29 Mar 2001.