Monument record 1763/2/4 - Ha-ha Enclosing Carden Hall

<1> L - P Archaeology, 2002, Archaeological Building Assessment of Carden Park, Chester, S.6 (Client Report). SCH8134.

The Ha-ha encloses the area of the house that contained the former gardens. The line of the Ha-ha is well established by the 1839 tithe map (see 4), but the park appears to develop only after 1777. The Ha-ha appears to have been constructed to enclose the house from the contents of the park. Ha-has are commonly employed within emparked landscapes to provide the image of an undivided landscape when viewed from the house, within the enclosure.

<2> L-P Archaeology, 2005, Archaeological Strip and Map and Watching Brief Report of land at Carden Park, Cheshire, Section 10.7 (Client Report). SCH8146.

An archaeological watching brief was undertaken in the area of the ha-ha c.2004-4 during the re-development of the hall site. The ha-ha was located west of the service area and southwest of the Hall, encircling the buildings and continuing east up the slope towards the farm buildings and terminating as an entranceway into the farm buildings' courtyard. Two entranceways were located in the ha-ha: a carriageway to the southwest and the main entrance facing directly south. The ha-ha was constructed from worked rectangular sandstone blocks up to three courses high, bonded by a reddish sandy mortar. The entrances were marked by rectangular sandstone pillars. The north-western and northern parts of the ha-ha were re-established further waya from their original location to accommodate the development

<3> Environment Agency, 2003-2020, Environment Agency LiDAR Surveys, 1m DSM LIDAR Composite (27/08/2020) (Digital Archive). SCH7819.

The Ha-ha survives in its original location to the south of the hall site as a well defined earthwork.

<4> See map for surveyor, c.1837-51, Cheshire Tithe Maps and Awards, EDT 87/2, 1839 (Maps and Plans). SCH3266.

<5> Ordnance Survey, 1871-1882, Ordnance Survey County Series (Epoch 1) 25 inch to 1 mile - Cheshire, SJ4654, 1874-1876 (Maps and Plans). SCH2462.