Walled kitchen garden formerly within the grounds of East Dene house, Ventnor, Isle of Wight

Summary

Walled kitchen garden, built in the early or mid-C19, as part of the former East Dene estate.

Description

Walled kitchen garden, built in the early or mid-C19, as part of the former East Dene estate.

The remains of the early-C19 glasshouse* within the lower level, the late-C19 glasshouse* attached to the north-east wall and the C19 stone-built former stores* attached to the outside of the north-east wall are not included in the listing.

MATERIALS: coursed rubble stone walls, most of which are topped by cobble-stone coping which is stepped as the walls descend to the south.

DESCRIPTION: the walled garden is a roughly long rectangular area laid out on southernly sloping ground and orientated north to south. It is subdivided into three levels, with stone retaining walls between each level. The walls are around 4m high at the north end, with the size decreasing in height at the lower levels.

The upper level is the largest and includes a long apsidal north end. The apsidal end wall includes metal fixings which are the remains of fruit-tree supports. A section of wall in the north-west corner and along the west side of the apsidal end has been rebuilt. There are several Tudor-arched entrances around the perimeter. One of the former openings leading to the pleasure grounds to the west has been lost due to rebuilding. There is a blocked opening at the north end which would have also provided access to pleasure grounds. In the east side there are two further openings, both of which retain metal-studded timber doors; one is located in the north-east corner and the other provides access into the adjacent stores. The east wall has been reinforced with concrete buttresses.

A set of stone steps at the centre of the revetment wall provides access to the middle level; further concrete buttresses have been added to the south side of this wall. A vehicular entrance has been inserted into the east wall at this level.

The lower level is accessed via a set of steps in the north-west corner and an entrance in the west end of the south wall. The south-west corner of the walled garden incorporates the external envelope of a former pitched-roof building; this includes its partially rebuilt gable end with a pointed arch window. A modern metal bridge* leading to the former farm buildings beyond has been inserted within the walled garden’s south wall.

* Pursuant to s1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’) it is declared that the remains of the early-C19 glasshouse within the lower level, the late-C19 glasshouse attached to the north-east wall, the C19 stone-built former stores attached to the outside of the north-east wall and modern metal bridge in the south wall are not of special architectural or historic interest. However, any works to these structures and/or features which have the potential to affect the character of the listed building as a building of special architectural or historic interest may still require Listed Building Consent (LBC) and this is a matter for the Local Planning Authority (LPA) to determine.

History

The house known as East Dene was built in around 1825 to 1826, on the site of the Bonchurch Farm. It was built for William H Surman and designed by Samuel Beazley. The 42-acre estate of East Dene was sold at auction in 1833. An advertisement of the estate describes East Dene as ‘the most perfect bijou’ and details that the site as including ‘verdant lawns…scenic beauties …woodland scenery…shrubbery walks, fruitful plantations…American plants’. It also notes the existence of ‘the secluded hermitage and an icehouse’ within the ‘extensive gardens. (Maidstone and Kentish Journal Advertisement, 21 May 1833, 1). Another contemporary report, confirming the sale, describes the estate as ‘comprising the cottage residence erected in the Elizabethan style, commanding extensive views of the sea, the rocks, hills and cascades and containing numerous apartments, lawn, horticultural and other gardens, a range of conservatories, hot and succession houses, orchard, and land extending to the sea cliffs, lodge, stables, laundry, fruit house, gardeners; and fishermen’s cottages, farm-buildings and yard, coach house, stables and premises’ (Morning Herald, 12 July 1833, 4). These descriptions indicate that many aspects of the marine villa's landscape design have been in place since the ownership of W H Surman.

The estate was bought by Mr Cartwright in 1833. In 1836 the house was leased to Captain, later Admiral, Charles Henry Swinburne (1797-1877). He later purchased East Dene in 1841 and lived there with his family, including the poet and literary reviewer Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837-1909), who spent his summers at the estate as a child. The Bonchurch Tithe Map (1843) depicts East-Dene house and estate under his ownership. The house is shown at the end of a curving drive, the entrance of the drive is flanked by buildings which are the predecessors of East Dene Lodge and Turret House (former coach house). It shows the walled kitchen garden to the east with three compartments including an apsidal end, along with various surrounding buildings. In 1861 East Dene was for sale again. Adverts gave detailed descriptions of the site, including noting that a labourer’s cottage with a private bathing machine was located near the beach, possibly referring to the pair of cottages located by the shoreline. An undated catalogue plan shows the East Dene estate with a detailed depiction of the garden layout. Although the plan is undated, it is associated with the 1860s sales agent and appears to date to this sale (MP89). A shrubbery between the east side of the house and the walled garden is shown to include a series of winding paths, narrow bands of dense planting interspersed with more formal lines of planting. The First Edition Ordnance Survey (OS) Map (surveyed 1862-1863, published 1866, 1:2500) shows some of the details depicted on the sales plan.

In 1865 the estate was sold to John Snowden-Henry (1824-1896), Member of Parliament for South-East Lancashire and a magistrate. Snowden-Henry’s is understood to have had a strong interest in horticulture, with records of plant growing and forcing houses, greenhouses, bushes and shrubberies, and accounts of tropical plants on the estate during his ownership

In 1899 East Dene was sold to J E Gordon member of Parliament for Elgin and Nain. In 1904 the estate was bought to serve as a convent school run by the nuns of the Convent of the Sacred Heart. In 1949 East Dene was sold and the ownership of the estate began to be subdivided. The western side of the estate, including the main house, entrance lodge, coach house, pleasure grounds and half of the upper woodland became known as the Workers Travel Association Holiday House, East Dene. The east side of the estate, including the walled garden, surrounding buildings and east half of the upper woodland became part of Carrigdene Farm; many of the cottages, farm and garden buildings in this area have been converted to residential accommodation since the mid-C20. In 1979 East Dene house and its grounds were sold and became an educational activity centre. In 2020 the activity centre closed and it was sold in 2022.

The steeply sloping walled garden is located to the east of the pleasure grounds. The 1833 sales advert describes several conservatories and plant houses which indicated the walled garden was in place by this time. The Tithe Map (1843) shows the walled garden laid out in three compartments with an apsidal north end, a long building attached to the east side, a detached vinehouse within the southern level and an additional building incorporated into the south-west corner of the walled garden. By the Second Edition OS Map (revised: 1896, published: 1898; 1:2500) additional buildings had been constructed including another glass-roofed vine house against the inside of the east wall of the upper level, a long thin glass-covered structure attached to the west side of the apsidal end, and a long glass house and cold frames in the middle level. A small glasshouse is also shown attached to the wall between the upper and lower level; this structure is near the site of a former boiler house which it is understood was topped by a domed cage believed to have housed a monkey when the site was under the ownership of Snowden-Henry (owner pers. com, 2023; no longer extant). In 1949 the walled garden became part of Carrigdene Farm and was run as a market garden. Most of the glasshouses within the walled garden have been completely or partially demolished. The store range attached to the east wall was partially rebuilt and converted to accommodation in two phases in the 1960, 1970s, and early C21.

Reasons for Listing

The walled kitchen garden formerly within the grounds of East Dene house, Ventnor, Isle of Wight is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* the multi-level walled structure survives well, retaining good detailing including cobble-stone capping, steps, arched doorways, and studded-timber doors

* its apsidal north end is a fairly unusual adaptation of the typical rectangular or square plan which was the most common during the C19.

Historic interest:

* it is a substantial pre-1840 example, which was both a key functional and architectural component within the former estate.

Group value:

* it has strong group value as part of a marine villa estate ensemble, including East Dene house (listed Grade II*, NHLE 1224413), several other listed buildings (Grade II), and the registered landscape (Grade II, NHLE 1485242).

External Links

Historic England Listing

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