Monument record 1746/2/0 - Park at Harthill

<1> Bryant, A., 1831, Map of the County Palatine of Chester (Maps and Plans). SCH2114.

Bryant's 1831 map depicts an oval park at Harthill.

<2> Swire, W. & Hutchings, W. F., 1830, Map of the County Palatine of Chester (Maps and Plans). SCH2116.

Swire and Hutchings' 1830 map depicts a park at Harthill.

<3> Ordnance Survey, 1881-2, Ordnance Survey County Series (Epoch 1) 6 inch to 1 mile - Cheshire, SJ45SE 1881-1882 (Maps and Plans). SCH2474.

Depicts 'Park Wood' and 'Park Cottages'. Sizable mixed woodland on the northern and north-western side of the park. The lower southern area is divided into two fields and is seperated from central/eastern open space by a wide belt of woodland. The central/eastern open space is divided into three fields.

<4> See map for surveyor, c.1837-51, Cheshire Tithe Maps and Awards, EDT 188b/2 1839 (Maps and Plans). SCH3266.

Depicts a large sub-oval enclosure to the immediate south of Harthill. The plot name is Harthill Park.

<5> Dodgson J McN, 1970-2, 1981, The Place-Names of Cheshire, vol.IV p.92-3 (Book). SCH3228.

The earliest reference to Harthill (Herthil) dates from 1259. The earliest reference to the park is 1831 (see 1).

<6> Various, Various, Oral communication to the HER, Edwards R 02/08/2013 (Oral Communication). SCH2330.

The park occupies a steep sided hill from c.100m OD to its summit at 162m OD. The pale/boundary of the park (as depicted on the tithe map (see 4)) follows the c.130-135m contour on the north-western side and c.120m contour on the south-eastern side. The southern end of the park is significantly lower, at 100m OD. The northern end of the park includes the hill’s summit and is immediately adjacent to the village of Harthill. The park’s woodland appears to be a mix of native species and Scott’s Pine. The southern pale/boundary to the park is lost and now forms part of a large modern field, but it may survive in places as a slight earthwork (see 7 and 8). In addition, a distinct boundary depicted on historic maps (see 3 and 4), and surviving as an earthwork, maybe an earlier boundary to a larger and earlier park. In addition, it is tempting to consider that the place-name derives from the park, however there no evidence to support this supposition.

<7> Bluesky International Ltd, 2005-2006, 2005-2006 Bluesky Survey (Aerial Photograph). SCH5483.

In places the park pale/boundary survives as a slight earthwork.

<8> Inforterra, 2010, Cheshire Sandstone Ridge LiDAR Survey
Sandstone Ridge (Digital Archive). SCH7194.

The southernmost boundary largely survives as a low bank.