Site Event/Activity record ECH6755 - Davenham Hall - Research and Recording

Summary Davenham Hall, a late 18th century country house, now a nursing home, set in parkland. The outbuildings now form part of the home. The walled garden is occupied by a wholesale nursery which has recently (2018) acquired part of the parkland to the south. There is also a small, entrance lodge, 513 London Road, Davenham, and a 19th century lodge adjacent to the south drive. Principal remaining features Hall, Grade II* Lodge, Grade II 19th Century lodge Garden with terrace and pool Walled garden Lime avenue to entrance drive Parkland Davenham Hall is situated on a gentle rise (45m AOD) with the main entrance and principal elevation facing east over the Dane Valley. The Hall is surrounded by parkland providing the setting for a quintessential English view of the spire of Davenham Church. From the Hall there are distant views of the Pennine hills. Though there have been changes to the Hall and outbuildings, the 18th century Hall in its parkland setting remains substantially intact. Boundaries The property is bounded to the west by London Road, the principal road through the village of Davenham, and to the east by the A553 Davenham/Moulton bypass. Properties on Church Road bound the park on the north while to the south trees along a field boundary denote the edge of the park. Drives and approaches Slightly set back from London Road behind a hedge, the gate lodge at 513 London Road provides a modest entrance to the property beside white gate piers and an open gate. The gate lodge is a single storey pavilion, probably of the early 19th century, with a bow, a pedimented door, and a slate roof, which has been extended by the addition of similar but more simply-detailed pavilions in the late 20th century. The gate lodge was stuccoed in 2018 but all the stucco was removed in 2019 (1 & 2). The lodge appears to be privately owned, no longer part of Davenham Hall. The drive rises gently from the entrance between an avenue of lime trees set in mown grass and fenced off from the park, curving south to reach the grounds of the Hall (3 &4). From the drive there are views east (5 & 6) and north east over the parkland towards the church. A second lodge, situated south of the Hall on London Road has a brick lower storey, black and white upper storey and a tile roof. Above the first floor window facing the road there is a date of 1881. The lodge is situated on a triangular plot beside the drive which is currently the exit from the property (7 & 8). Parkland The parkland of Davenham Hall forms the core of Davenham Conservation Area. The footpath between the church and Hall shown on the 1870 Ordnance Survey no longer exists but the parkland can still be accessed by a public footpath from Davenham Church (9). From the path there are delightful views to the Hall which in 2018 appeared little changed since the 18th century (10). The park contains a number of mature trees – Oak, Ash, Lime and Horse Chestnut - each covered by separate Tree Preservation Orders, survivors of the once more extensive parkland tree planting. In addition there were two mature Hawthorn trees each side of the public footpath and young parkland trees protected by tree guards. It is understood that the parkland was subject to a Countryside Stewardship grant that enabled the planting. Since 2018, with a change of ownership, all the young trees and their tree guards have been removed; lower branches have been removed from parkland trees without permission, and established planting along the bypass cut back to the fence line (11 &12). A fence north east of the Hall across the park has been removed together with one of the mature Hawthorn trees and the public footpath has been fenced each side creating two large fields where silage had been taken (13 &14). The north-west part of the park, presumably in different ownership, remained as long grass at the time of recording. The Gardens The drive enters the grounds to the Hall between two gate piers similar to those at the entrance beside the gate lodge (15). Sections of park rail fence survive beneath the trees, remnants of the former boundary of the park and grounds (16). The drive, which once led to a forecourt beside the main entrance, now terminates in a stoned parking area occupying the space north of the Hall (17). The early 19th century Hall has 2 storeys with a symmetrical entrance front of 6 bays. Occupying the middle 2 bays is a porch with paired columns to the sides and single columns to the centre.18 The left-hand return includes an original 3-bay mid/late C18 farmhouse on the right. The 3-bay north side is extended by a long service wing.19 A stone flagged path from the parking area provides access to the main entrance which has steps up to the porch (18). From the entrance there are views over a formal terraced lawn, defined by mature trees and shrubbery, and across the parkland (19). The garden is bounded by park rail fencing which is in poor condition. An old gate indicates that there was, at one time, access between the garden and the park (20). Slopes down from the lawn to the north include planting of a cedar tree with a damaged crown. South of the Hall is a rectangular terrace whose footprint appears to correspond with a space defined on the 1874 Ordnance Survey (Map D). The terrace is divided in four by a stone flagged cross path with areas of grass and planting in the quadrants and a bird feeder in the centre (21). The east west path leads to an entrance into a courtyard through a glass corridor linking the Hall and outbuildings. On the south elevation of the Hall there is a floor to ceiling sash window with a couple of steps up to the window from the north south path, indicating that there was an access from this principal reception room into the garden (22). The path from the window leads south to the pond, now fenced off with chain link fencing (23). The shape and apparent depth of the pond suggest that it may have been a former marl pit pond that was incorporated into the layout of the garden. The east west terrace path leads to uneven sandstone steps (24) down to a rectangular space with an enclosed path and planting beds which include Japanese maples. Rubble sandstone walls each side of the steps have undergone past repairs. East of the pond is an area of woodland with shallow water channels and small pools, a shady hummocky space with iris and mounds of ivy (25). South of the lawn is an area of mixed tree planting including a group of Acacias with a ground cover of bluebells (26). The drive from the back of the Hall to the southern exit passes between the outbuildings and late 20th century extensions to the nursing home and the walled garden. The walled garden is occupied by Davenham Nurseries, a wholesale nursery. Within the walled garden there is a small structure on the site of a former glasshouse, another structure in the south east corner and canopies covering the growing areas (27). Plants are laid out east and south of the walled garden between the walled garden and the drive (28).