Monument record 14928/2 - Dorfold Park and Gardens, Acton

<1> Dodgson J McN, 1970-2, 1981, The Place-Names of Cheshire, Vol III, p.126-7 (Book). SCH3228.

Dorfold Park, the place name Dorfold means 'deer-park' and is first mentioned in mid C13, and frequently from C14 onwards.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, White J 1964 SJ65SW6 (Index). SCH2487.

<3> Ormerod, G., 1882, The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester, Vol 3, p.343-5, 1882 (Book). SCH1389.

<4> English Heritage, 2001, Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest, 1985 (Report). SCH2822.

Large, relict parkland surrounding the hall, but separated from it, and the formal gardens, by ha-has. The gardens and present approach are largely of circa 1852 by W. A. Nesfield, but includes a late sixteenth century gateway from Townend House, Nantwich.

<5> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 1000641 (Digital Archive). SCH4666.

A C19 landscape park and formal gardens by William Andrews Nesfield, associated with a C17 and later country house (Dorfold Hall). The Dorfold estate was bought in 1603 by Sir Roger Wilbraham, a distinguished lawyer. Being childless he passed the property to his younger brother Ralph, Feodary of Cheshire and Flintshire, who in 1616 constructed the greater part of the present house. The Wilbrahams retained Dorfold until 1754, when it was sold to James Tomkinson (d 1794), a wealthy lawyer from Bostock, who proceeded to remodel the interior and before 1789 add a five-bay service wing (demolished, except for one bay, in 1951), possibly using the architect William Baker (1705-71). Under Tomkinson's son Henry (d 1822) the present garden layout was established. In 1824 the forecourt of the house was made more attractive and antique for Henry's son, the Rev James Tomkinson (d 1841), while twenty-five years later William Andrews Nesfield (1793-1881) was brought in to advise on further improvements to the surrounds and setting of the house, although disapproval from within the family, not least from Tomkinson's widow who lived on until 1861, delayed implementation of his scheme until 1862. In 1861 Dorfold was inherited by the Tomkinsons' daughter Anne, the wife of Wilbraham Spencer Tollemache. It was he who brought in Nesfield, and certain aspects of the scheme, notably the new drive, were opposed by his wife who shared her mother's opinion of it. Dorfold remains (1997) in private hands.

PARK: The parkland which surrounds Dorfold Hall begins almost immediately west of Nantwich. To the north of the park is the village of Acton, and the road therefrom to Nantwich forms the northern boundary of the park. The eastern boundary of the park follows the Shropshire Union Canal, and that to the south Marsh Lane, which runs west from Nantwich. To the west the registered area is largely defined by field boundaries. The area here registered is c 125ha. Dorfold Hall lies in the northern part of a roughly square park, a little over a kilometre across. It falls gently from north to south and is largely given over to pasture, although the fields down the western side of the park were under arable cultivation in 1997. Bull's Wood, in the southern half of the park, is the only substantial block of mature woodland within the park although since the 1970s considerable investment has been made in plantation belts and block plantings designed to enhance the setting of the Hall and to increase its privacy. Especially to the north of the Hall are mature specimen trees including some coniferous examples, probably planted by Nesfield c 1862. Extending west for c 200m from the south end of the main drive is a pool (Upper Pool, 1789). Its easternmost 30m, which had been infilled by Nesfield in the 1860s, was re-excavated in the 1970s. Nesfield did away with any remaining trace of a second large pool (Lower Pool, 1789) which lay east of this; it was the east end of this pool which was later turned into the Rockery Garden.

The map of 1789 shows that already by that date the boundary between the land around the Hall and the road to the north was paled, and the land itself had a park-like character. The park took on its essential modern appearance in the early 1860s when Nesfield straightened the line of the drive to the Hall and undertook planting, both of the lime avenues (see below) and of specimen trees within what became an enhanced parkland setting.

ENTRANCES AND APPROACHES Dorfold Hall is approached down a straight, 220m long drive, with a double avenue of limes (early 1860s) well set back to either side on slight ramps. This new approach formed part of Nesfield's work at Dorfold. Until then the main, tree-lined drive had approached the north forecourt from a gate c 200m to the east of the later one. At the north end of the drive, standing on the Nantwich road, is a tall and elaborate gate screen, the piers surmounted by cast-iron heraldic lions, and an equally elaborate single-storey brick lodge, all of 1862 (and all listed grade II). In the 1970s ha-has were dug outside the lime avenues to divide the drive zone from the parkland, and to improve the views thereto from the drive and forecourt.

The approach drive leads straight and symmetrically to the north forecourt, c 30m in diameter. Closing the north side of the forecourt is a stone balustered wall with central iron gates, all of c 1862. So too is the surfacing of the turning circle, a swirling pattern of white pebbles set against a main body of dark grey or black pebbles which can probably be attributed to Nesfield. In the middle of the round lawn within the turning circle is a low stone plinth carrying an above-life-size cast-iron statue (listed grade II) of a mastiff suckling her young. The statue was acquired from the 1855 Paris Exhibition. On both east and west sides of the forecourt is a tall, clipped, yew bush.

A service track runs north/south down the west side of the park from a gate at the south end of Acton village. A spur east from this leads to Dorfold's stables and kitchen gardens

GARDENS AND PLEASURE GROUNDS: The main garden, largely laid to lawn with beds, lies south of the Hall. The Upper, or South Lawn occupies the site of a parterre designed by Nesfield c 1862 and removed during the Second World War. The lawn is bounded to the south by a low, sandstone ashlar wall (listed grade II) of 1827, which stands on top of a ha-ha wall of 1796. Openings in the wall with ball finials to either side were created at a later date to give access to a slightly lower lawn to the south. That is separated from the parkland beyond, which is overlooked from the garden, by a ha-ha dug c 1960.

To the west the South Lawn is bounded by a 3m high brick wall: the east end wall of the nearer of the kitchen gardens, and a northward extension thereof. The kitchen garden is entered from the South Lawn via an imposing gate with tall brick and stone piers surmounted with eagles (listed grade II), possibly of 1824, which support a wrought-iron gate of the 1860s with the Tollemache fret device in the overthrow. About 20m north of this an elaborate early C17 stone gateway (listed grade II*) with an iron gate, probably of the 1860s, gives access from the South Lawn to a former walk along the outside of the north wall of the kitchen garden. The gateway was moved here in 1872 from the Roger Wilbraham Almshouses in Nantwich. On the south side of the kitchen garden a mid C19 iron gateway lies on the line of a former herbaceous border walk along the outside of the garden wall. The South Lawn extends round the west side of the Hall.

To the east the South Lawn is bounded by a 2.5m high brick wall of the 1950s. This wall is met by a northward extension of the low sandstone wall of 1827 which bounds the south side of the lawn. From an opening in that wall near the south-east corner of the lawn, steps lead down to a lawn with specimen tree which extends for c 100m east to the Woodland Garden. That was created in the 1980s, with plantings of spring-flowering shrubs and plants, from a Rockery Garden made c 1908 (date carved on steps off lawn) in a shallow, bowl-like depression. Many of the rockery features, including the rocks themselves, and a concrete-lined rill with basins, still survive.

Some 80m west of the Hall is a sweet chestnut of exceptional size, celebrated as the 'last survivor of Delamere forest' (Cheshire Life 1954). It is more probably a remnant of a C17 formal layout around the Hall. An estate map of 1789 (private collection) shows pleasure grounds south of the Hall, and a 'Lawn' west of the stables and north of the kitchen garden.

KITCHEN GARDEN: West of the Hall are extensive brick-walled compartments, including two walled gardens. The earlier garden, perhaps later C17, lies immediately west of the South Lawn. It measures c 80m east/west by c 40m north/south. The interior is grass apart from a section of the west end which is a hard tennis court. Against the north wall, sections at least of which were heated, is an early C19 orangery or greenhouse.

A second walled garden, built in 1796 and 80m east/west by 70m north/south, abuts the earlier garden to the south-west. Along its north wall are ranges of mid C19 sheds. The interior is planted with Christmas trees. This garden replaced a narrower walled garden shown on the 1789 map.

<6> Various, Various, Oral communication to the HER (Oral Communication). SCH2330.

Certain structures within the park are individually listed and recorded separately; these include an ice-house, dairy house and farm-building, the entrance lodge and gates. Similarly, structures within the formal gardens, some of which are listed, include a clock tower, statue group, and elements within the walled gardens (walls and gates). Buildings, including the 'coach house', which once formed part of the former stable block, also survive but are not listed.

<7> Worlledge Associates, 2018, Dorfold Hall, Acton, Cheshire: Statement of Significance, R4293 (Client Report). SCH8675.

A Statement of Significance was produced in 2019 for Dorfold Hall and gardens in support of a proposal for its development as a wedding venue. The proposal is to re-develop the former service yard and stable area, including re-furbishing the existing coach house and a garden building in the walled gardens. The following information is taken from the report. (See also sources 8-10)

The exact dates and attributions of construction of the walled gardens, greenhouses, the service yard and other structures at Dorfold Hall are difficult to define due to a lack of documentation. In part this is due to the fact the Estate was never placed on the market, an event which usually involved a detailed description of the estate and all the buildings, yards, gardens. The historic map evidence only provides a general guide as to when these were works were carried out.

The evidence suggests that following the establishment of the house, a possible walled garden and some service buildings in the early seventeenth century, little subsequent work was carried out under the Wilbrahams, apparently due to financial constraints. When James Tomkinson, a wealthy and aspiring and successful lawyer, acquired the estate from the Wilbrahams in 1754, major additions were made to the house, service yards, walled gardens and grounds to reflect his growing status and desired to be part of the Cheshire Hunting set. He also added to the size of the overall estate by acquiring additional lands .His son Henry Tomkinson and grandson Rev. James Tomkinson continued to add to the Hall.

In 1849, Nesfield was commissioned to provide a report on Dorfold Hall. The report 'on the present state of the accompaniments to Dorfold Hall with propositions for improvement’, considered the first impressions of the house as far from satisfactory, with the present drive not terminating in front of the house, but the side. He considered that this, along with the dense summer foliage masking the body of the main house, would result in a visitor to the property being unsure of whether the road was a back approach. Nesfield's proposals for Dorfold were not implemented until after 1861 due to family opposition to the scheme; they were eventually undertaken by Wilbraham Tollemache. The works undertaken included altering the pool in front of the house to provide for a straight access carriage drive, a gate lodge, elaborate entrance gates, a new entrance court with carriage sweep and a bronze statue of a mastiff and her pups, all enclosed with a low wall and gates, a coach house with clock tower, and a pleasure garden to the south with parterres. Trees were removed to open up views of the house, and to the south, to create a view to St. Mary's Church, Acton. It is suggested that the statute of the Mastiff and the entrance gates to the drive were bought from the Paris Exhibition of 1855. It has also been suggested that the ornamental gateway with lions was also installed as part of this work. Much of the Nesfield work survives, with the exception of the parterres to the south lawn, which were apparently removed during the Second World War. The parterre incorporated a swirling design of gravel, with box-edged compartments; the planting included Swedish juniper, roses, yuccas, dahlias and hollyhocks. A gothic font and columnar sundial also formed part of the design. A photograph of the probable Nesfield parterre garden was published in 1984 in 'Cheshire Life'.

Post WW II saw major demolitions of elements of the hall and associated service buildings, including the eighteenth century east wing, the majority of the service yard buildings and structures within the walled gardens.

<8> Aeon Archaeology, 2016, Dorfold Hall, Chester Road, Nantwich, CW5 8LD: Archaeological Assessment, R4292 (Client Report). SCH8673.

<9> Zoe Polya-Vitry, 2019, Dorfold Hall: Design & Access Statement, R4294 (Client Report). SCH8677.

<10> Worlledge Associates, 2019, Dorfold Hall, Acton, Cheshire: Heritage Impact Report, R4295 (Client Report). SCH8679.

<11> Aeon Archaeology, 2021, Dorfold Hall, Chester Road, Nantwich CW5 8LD: Archaeological Watching Brief, R4498 (Client Report). SCH9012.

Following on from earlier research and design work (sources 7-10), an archaeological watching brief was undertaken in 2020 during groundworks associated with the creation of a wedding and events venue at Dorfold Hall, including ground reduction for a compound within the north-eastern corner of the walled garden. The former kitchen garden of Dorfold Hall, which is known as the ‘Christmas Tree Walled Garden’ (centred on NGR SJ 63418 52417) is located approximately 125m to the south-west of the main structure of Dorfold Hall. The garden is bounded on all four sides by a 3.0m high red-brick wall.

During the process of ground reduction, lines of Victorian blue ceramic tiles were exposed in three areas - two orientated north-south and positioned parallel with the east wall of the garden and a third orientated east-west located in the central area of the walled garden. The discovery of these ceramic edging borders reflects the layout depicted within the 25” County Series Ordnance Survey map of 1875 which demonstrates that the garden was laid out into equally spaced quadrants generally aligned north-northwest to south-southeast. These quadrants appear to have had distinct pathways surrounding them which are denoted by dashed lines either side of the pathway on the historic map. The blue ceramic tiles discovered during the watching brief appear to correlate with part of the north-eastern path boundary and also with the boundary of the central transverse pathway across the centre of the garden which was aligned west/north-west to east/south-east. Furthermore, there are trees depicted on the map suggesting that this garden was formally planned as an orchard some time prior to 1875.