Tatton Park

Tatton Park is a historic estate in Cheshire, England, to the north of the town of Knutsford. It contains a mansion, Tatton Hall, a manor house dating from medieval times, Tatton Old Hall, gardens, a farm and a deer park of AcreAndHectare |1000| round=0. It is a popular visitor attraction and hosts over 100 events annually. The estate is owned by the National Trust and administered in conjunction with Cheshire County Council.

History

There is evidence of human habitation in the area of the estate going back to the Iron Age. In medieval times the village of Tatton was on the site. This has since disappeared but the area of the village and its roadways are a Scheduled Ancient Monument. [cite web |url= http://www.tattonpark.org.uk/Attractions/Old+Hall/ |title= Old Hall |accessdate=2008-08-31 |publisher= Tatton Park ] By the end of the 15th century the estate was owned by the Stanley family who built and occupied the Old Hall. By the 1580s this building had been enlarged and it was owned by the Brereton family. In 1598 the estate was bought by Sir Thomas Egerton, Lord Chancellor of England. Sir Thomas and his children rarely visited the estate and it was loaned to tenants. At the end of the 17th century the estate was owned by John Egerton, Sir Thomas' grandson, and he built a new house on the site of the present mansion, some convert|0.75|mi|km|0 to the west of the Old Hall. This mansion, Tatton Hall, was extensively altered and extended between 1780 and 1813. In 1795 the estate covered AcreAndHectare |251000| round=0. The estate remained in the ownership of the Egerton family until Maurice Egerton died in 1958, leaving it to the National Trust. By that time the size of the estate had reduced to AcreAndHectare |2000| round=0. The estate and its contents have been developed into a visitor attraction. [McKean, pp. 1–3.]

Tatton Old Hall

The hall was originally timber-framed but this has since been replaced by brick. It is L-shaped, in two storeys. The floors which had been inserted into the older wing have been removed, revealing the complex wooden roof.cite web |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/search/details.aspx?pid=1&id=58485 |title=Images of England: Tatton Old Hall |accessdate=2008-08-31 |publisher=English Heritage ] The Old Hall stands in grounds surrounded by a wall. Within these grounds is a cruck barn which has been removed from a farm near Frodsham. [cite web |url= http://www.tattonpark.org.uk/Attractions/Old+Hall/cruckbarn.htm |title= Cruck Barn |accessdate=2008-08-31 |publisher= Tatton Park ]

Tatton Hall

Around 1716 a new house was built on a separate site for the Egerton family. From 1758 improvements were made to the house and between the 1770s and 1816 most of it was replaced by the present neoclassical mansion, designed by Samuel Wyatt and his nephew Lewis William Wyatt. Further additions to the house were made in 1861–62 and in 1884. During the late 19th century large house parties were held in the hall, some of them being attended by British and foreign royalty.cite web |url= http://www.tattonpark.org.uk/Attractions/Mansion/historyofmansion.htm |title= The History of the Mansion |accessdate=2008-09-01 |publisher= Tatton Park ]

The mansion contains much of the furniture made for its occupants by the family firm of Robert Gillow and his successors. Also in the hall is a large collection of paintings, many of them being portraits of the Egerton family, and in addition paintings by Canaletto,McKean, p. 26.] Poussin, Chardin, [McKean, p. 15.] Van Dyck, Vasari, [McKean, p. 59.] and many others. The Library contains first editions of two novels by Jane Austen. [McKean, p. 31.] One room is dedicated to a collection of items from around the world assembled by the last owner of the house, Maurice Egerton. In the family wing are the servants' quarters. These include rooms which contain much of the equipment and many of the utensils which were used to serve the family. [McKean, pp. 63–75.] The hall is a member of the Historic Houses Association. [cite web |url= http://www.hha.org.uk/HHA/Property.aspx?id=581&rg=&co=-1&tp=0&pd=-1&me=&mn=&mr=10&vw=0&st=n&nm= |title= Tatton Park |accessdate=2008-09-03 |publisher= Historic Houses Association]

Farm

To the north of the mansion is Home Farm which provided food and building services for the estate. It has been maintained to look much as it did in the 1930s when electricity replaced steam to operate the farm machinery. [McKean, pp. 2–3.] It is now open as a visitor attraction and contains a variety of farm animals. [cite web |url= http://www.tattonpark.org.uk/Attractions/Farm/ |title= The Farm |accessdate=2008-09-01 |publisher= Tatton Park ] The farm takes an interest in caring for and breeding rare breeds of farm animals, including Tamworth pigs, Red Poll cows and Leicester Longwool sheep. In 2007 the farm received accreditation by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. [cite web |url= http://www.tattonpark.org.uk/Attractions/Farm/rarebreeds.htm |title= A Rare Breeds Farm |accessdate=2008-09-01 |publisher= Tatton Park ]

Gardens

To the southeast of Tatton Hall is the Italian Garden. This was inspired by the Grand Tour and designed by Joseph Paxton, being completed around 1890. Its centre piece is a statue of Neptune. This was brought from Venice in 1920 and is unusual in that its pipework is visible at the back. The garden consists of two terraces, parts of which are recognised as listed buildings (see below). Over the years changes have taken place in the garden, but it was restored to its original design in 1986. It is the most formal part of the gardens. [Youd, pp. 29–30.] To the south of the east end of the family wing is The Conservatory which was built in 1818 to the design of Lewis Wyatt. Originally it was linked to the mansion by a long glass corridor but this was removed around 1935 when the Tenants Hall was extended. It has also been known as The Orangery because for some time it was devoted to growing oranges. [Youd, pp. 31–32.] Beyond the Conservatory are the Fernery and the Showhouse. The Fernery was also designed by Joseph Paxton and its was built to house tree ferns from New Zealand. The Showhouse was used to display flowering plants in the summer and, in the winter, to develop new stock and to provide pot plants for the house. [Youd, pp. 33–34.]

The present garden entrance leads from the stable yard into the Walled Garden. This formally had a complete set of greenhouses along its south-facing wall, some of which are still present. On top of the north-facing wall are objects which look like urns, but which are actually chimney pots for what was once a heated wall. This garden was originally an extensive orchard. [Youd, p. 6.] The Walled Garden leads into the "Pleasure Gardens" which were for enjoyment rather than utility. The L Borders contain plants which are formally arranged to replicate the style of border developed by Gertrude Jekyll. [Youd, pp. 7–8.] To the south of the L Border is Charlotte's Garden. This was designed in 1814 by Lewis Wyatt and named after the wife of William Egerton. It was designed as a Gardenesque type of garden, including a conservatory, an arbour, a fountain, a rockery and a snake path. These five elements can still be found in this garden. [Youd, p. 9.] The L Border, the Broad Walk and Beech Avenue form the main path through the gardens which used to lead to The Monument. This was commissioned by Wilbraham Egerton in 1820 and designed by William Cole, its inspiration coming from the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates in Athens. The Monument was dismantled in the 1960s because of subsidence but it hoped to reinstate it. [Youd, pp. 22–23.] Adjacent to Charlotte's Garden is The Topiary which leads to the Rose Garden. [Youd, p. 11.] The Rose Garden was laid out for the wife of Alan de Tatton in 1913. It contained a pool used for bathing by the family. The garden contains artifacts, including a Tea House, many of which were taken from the estate of Rostherne Manor. [Youd, p. 12.] To the south of the Rose Garden is the Tower Garden. This contains a brick tower whose original purpose was to watch for sheep-stealing on the park land. As the garden expanded it was absorbed to become a feature within it. This garden also contains articles from Rostherne Manor. [Youd, p. 14.] Along the western border of the gardens is The Arboretum which contains a collection of trees started by the Egerton family at the beginning of the 18th century. The first reference to it is in 1795 when between five and ten species were present. It now contains 880 plants of 281 species. Its important trees include a Giant Redwood, a Weymouth Pine, a Mexican White Pine, an Ernest's Fir and a Chilean Incense Cedar. [Youd, pp. 16–17.]

The Japanese Garden was developed following Alan de Tatton's visit to the Anglo-Japanese Exhibition in London in 1910. Artifacts within the garden, including the Shinto shrine, are believed to have been brought from Japan for the construction of the garden. [Youd, pp. 19–21.] It is considered to be the finest Japanese garden in the United Kingdom. [cite web |url= http://www.rothteien.com/topics/uk-survey.htm |title= UK and Ireland Survey |accessdate=2008-09-01 |publisher= UK Japanese Garden Society ] To the east of the Broad Walk is the African Hut which was built by Maurice Egerton as an association with his visits to Africa. [Youd, p. 25.] To the north of this is The Maze, which was well established by 1795. It is planted with hornbeam and beech [Youd, p. 27.] and is the only hedged maze owned and maintained by the Cheshire County Council.fact|date=September 2008

Parkland

The parkland consists of AcreAndHectare |2000| round=0 of landscaped deer park, AcreAndHectare |1000| round=0 of which are open to the public. Much of the design of the park was inspired by the ideas of Humphrey Repton. [cite web |url= http://www.tattonpark.org.uk/Attractions/Park/ |title= Park |accessdate=2008-09-03 |publisher= Tatton Park ] In the park are two meres; the larger, Tatton Mere, is natural but the other, Melchett Mere, is the consequence of subsidence in the 1920s. The meres are Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Ramsar sites. [cite web |url= http://www.tattonpark.org.uk/Attractions/Park/conservation.htm |title= Nature, Conservation and Meres |accessdate=2008-09-03 |publisher= Tatton Park ] The deer park was created by a royal charter in 1290 and deer have been present since then. The two species present are red deer and fallow deer of which there are 400 breeding stock. Two rare species of sheep graze in the park, Hebridean sheep and Soay sheep. [cite web |url= http://www.tattonpark.org.uk/Attractions/Park/animalstock.htm |title= Animals |accessdate=2008-09-03 |publisher= Tatton Park ] Visitor activities pursued in the park include walking, cycling (cycles are available to hire), horse riding, sailing and fishing. [cite web |url= http://www.tattonpark.org.uk/Attractions/Park/visitoractivities.htm |title= Visitor Activities |accessdate=2008-09-03 |publisher= Tatton Park ] Near the main car park is a children's adventure playground. [cite web |url= http://www.tattonpark.org.uk/Attractions/Park/playarea.htm |title= Adventure Playground |accessdate=2008-09-03 |publisher= Tatton Park ] The parkland is listed as Grade II* in the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England. [cite web |url=http://www.parksandgardens.ac.uk/component/option,com_parksandgardens/task,site/id,3223/tab,description/Itemid,293/ |title= Tatton Park, Knutsford, England |accessdate=2008-09-03 |publisher= Parks and Gardens Data Services ] http://www.thornber.net/cheshire/htmlfiles/tatton.html |title= Tatton Park |accessdate=2008-09-03 |last= Thornber |first= Craig |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work=Cheshire Antiquities |publisher= Craig Thornber |pages= ]

Around the park are three lodges. To the south leading to Knutsford is Knutsford Lodge. This dates from 1810 and was designed by Lewis Wyatt. It consists of a triple gateway constructed of ashlar stone with a large central arch and smaller flanking arches, each with cast-iron gates, and a single-storey lodge to the west. The lodge is also constructed of ashlar with a slate roof. Flanking the central arch are Doric columns carrying an entablature with a triglyph frieze, and a pediment surmounted by heavy acroteria. The archway is semicircular with voussoirs and a scrolled keystone. The outer arches are simple. [Pevsner and Hubbard, p. 253.] Rostherne Lodge has a hexastyle Greek Doric portico. Above this is a full entablature with triglyphs and guttae below. The pediment is plain. The lodge was designed in 1833 by James Hakewill.Pevsner and Hubbard, p. 356.]

Listed buildings

Tatton Hall is listed Grade Icite web |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/search/details.aspx?pid=1&id=58467 |title=Images of England: Tatton Hall |accessdate=2008-08-31 |publisher=English Heritage ] and the Old Hall is listed II*. Knutsford Lodge Gateway and Gates are also listed Grade II*,cite web |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/search/details.aspx?pid=1&id=476398 |title=Images of England: Knutsford Lodge Gateway and Gates|accessdate=2008-08-31 |publisher=English Heritage ] while Rostherne Lodge is Grade II.cite web |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/search/details.aspx?pid=1&id=58457 |title=Images of England: Rostherne Lodge |accessdate=2008-08-31 |publisher=English Heritage ] A number of items in the gardens and grounds are listed Grade II, namely the Upper Terrace Wall, [cite web |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/search/details.aspx?pid=1&id=58469 |title=Images of England: Upper Terrace Wall|accessdate=2008-08-31 |publisher=English Heritage ] the flight of steps between the Intermediate and Lower Terraces, [cite web |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/search/details.aspx?pid=1&id=58470 |title=Images of England: Flight of steps |accessdate=2008-08-31 |publisher=English Heritage ] the wall and balustrade of the Lower Terrace, [cite web |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/search/details.aspx?pid=1&id=58474 |title=Images of England: Wall and balustrade |accessdate=2008-08-31 |publisher=English Heritage ] the walls of the Service Court, [cite web |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/search/details.aspx?pid=1&id=58475 |title=Images of England: Walls to Service Court |accessdate=2008-08-31 |publisher=English Heritage ] the pool wall and Triton Fountain in the Lower Terrace, [cite web |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/search/details.aspx?pid=1&id=58471 |title=Images of England: pool wall and Triton Fountain |accessdate=2008-08-31 |publisher=English Heritage ] and the Eastern and Western Vases on the Lower Terrace. [cite web |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/search/details.aspx?pid=1&id=58473 |title=Images of England: Eastern Vase |accessdate=2008-08-31 |publisher=English Heritage ] [cite web |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/search/details.aspx?pid=1&id=58472 |title=Images of England: Western Vase |accessdate=2008-08-31 |publisher=English Heritage ]

Wartime use

During World War II Lord Egerton's parkland played a very important role in the training of all allied paratroops by No.1 Parachute Training School RAF based at nearby RAF Ringway. Approximately 60,000 trainees including Special agents made their first training drops from cages suspended from Barrage balloons over an open area to the northwest of the hall. They then boarded aircraft and jumped over Tatton Park, some requesting 'drops' into Tatton Mere or into trees to prepare them for active operations. [ Scholefield, p 19-21. ] .

A free-standing stone memorial to Tatton Park's wartime role in parachute training is located at the far edge of the dropping zone, about 0.6 miles to the NW of the hall.

Events

A programme of events is organised in the hall, garden and parkland. These include an annual flower show arranged by the Royal Horticultural Society, car shows, concerts, courses and craft and antique fairs. [cite web |url= http://www.tattonpark.org.uk/Attractions/WhatsOn/eventslistings.htm |title= Events Listings |accessdate=2008-09-03 |publisher= Tatton Park ] Parts of the hall and gardens can be hired for celebrations [cite web |url= http://www.tattonpark.org.uk/Wedding+and+Celebrations/ |title= Weddings and Celebrations |accessdate=2008-09-03 |publisher= Tatton Park ] and for conferences and meetings. [cite web |url= http://www.tattonpark.org.uk/Conferences+and+Banqueting/ |title= Conferences, Meetings and Banqueting |accessdate=2008-09-03 |publisher= Tatton Park ] The site is licensed for weddings. [cite web |url= http://www.tattonpark.org.uk/Wedding+and+Celebrations/ceremoniesandcelebrations.htm |title= Ceremonies and Celebrations |accessdate=2008-09-03 |publisher= Tatton Park ]

References

Notes

Bibliography

*cite book | last = McKean| first = Maggie (ed.) | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Tatton Park: The Mansion |edition= | publisher = Cheshire County Council | year = 1998 | location = Knutsford | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = 0904 532 429
*cite book | last =Pevsner | first =Nikolaus | authorlink =Nikolaus Pevsner | coauthors =Edward Hubbard | title =The Buildings of England: Cheshire |edition= | publisher =Yale University Press| date =2003| origyear=1971| location =New Haven & London| pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn =0 300 09588 0
*cite book | last = Scholefield | first = R.A. | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Manchester Airport | publisher = Sutton Publishing | year = 1998 | location = Stroud | pages = 19-21 | isbn = 0-7509-1954-X
*cite book | last = Youd | first = Sam | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Tatton Park: The Gardens |edition= | publisher = Cheshire County Council | year = 1998 | location = Knutsford | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = 0904 532 410

External links

* [http://www.thornber.net/cheshire/htmlfiles/tatton.html Photographs of the park and its contents]