Nature Observation Hide, Polebrook, North Northamptonshire

Description

ASHTON

1743/0/10086 Nature Observation Hide
17-DEC-09

GV II

Also Known As: Summerhouse
Nature observation hide and summerhouse; c1900 probably by William Huckvale, for Lord Rothschild.

MATERIALS: The structure is built of wood, covered externally in rushes pinned in place by battens. Its roof is reed thatched.

PLAN: The building is polygonal in plan.

EXTERIOR: The building has a conical roof surmounted by a finial painted in Rothschild blue, the line of the eaves rising in curves over the continuous zig-zag of the south facing windows; the line of the windows takes the form of four small bays separated by three sections with less pronounced angles. Access is through a planked door from the path to the north.

INTERIOR: The interior is lined with planks, vertically on the walls and horizontally around the polygonal ceiling.

HISTORY: The Ashton Estate, stretching from the River Nene near Oundle in the west to Ashton Wold in the east, has been occupied since Roman times. In the C18 it was a well-known sporting estate, with avenues of chestnut trees planted in a cross as rides, and a number of fox coverts. In the early C19 the estate was owned by William Walcot and was largely farmed by tenants, with Ashton Wold continuing as a sporting ground. However, there is no evidence that it had ever contained a manor house, and when in 1860 it was purchased by Lionel Rothschild the sale particulars described it as 'a very valuable and important landed estate', with sporting advantages, but no house adapted for the occupation of a gentleman. Both Lionel Rothschild and his son Nathaniel Mayer, 1st Lord Rothschild (1840-1915), showed little interest in the estate, and the only structural work undertaken in the C19 was the building of a hunting lodge at Ashton Wold. However, when Lord Rothschild's second son, Nathaniel Charles (1877-1923) - known as Charles - discovered Ashton by accident whilst on a butterfly-collecting expedition with the vicar of Polebrook, he was so impressed by the rich fauna and flora of Ashton Wold that he persuaded his father to build him a house on the site of the hunting lodge. In 1900 Lord Rothschild commissioned William Huckvale to design not only a house, but a model farm, an entire complement of estate buildings which included the Steward's house, stables, gardeners' accommodation, a building to house a fire engine, a petrol store, kennels (now derelict) and a dog hospital. Most of the cottages at nearby Ashton were rebuilt to create a model village. High quality design and workmanship were consistent themes throughout the estate, employing traditional vernacular building traditions, with simple working buildings afforded the same care as were the dwellings, farmsteads and garden structures.

The nature observation hide is shown on the 1926 OS map, overlooking the larger lake or fishpond from the north-east. It is at a distance of about 0.5kms from the formal gardens - although the walk along the path from the lily pond garden gate would have been a little further. This path leads to a pair of lakeside buildings, visiting the hide before going on to the boathouse. It seems probable that both were designed by William Huckvale (1847-1936) as part of the project to rebuild and develop the Ashton Estate.

Little is known about Huckvale, who worked mainly for the Rothschilds and therefore had no need to publicise his work in the architectural journals, and was not a member of the RIBA. After setting up his own practice in London he came into contact with Alexander Parks, agent to Lord Rothschild. He designed a number of buildings for the Rothschilds on the Tring Park estate, undertook considerable work at the Rothschild bank in New Court in the City of London, and was the architect for the Royal Mint Refinery. He also carried out work on the Rothschild estate at Aston Clinton. The quality of his work is reflected in the 42 listed buildings he already has to his name, 13 in Tring and 29 on the Ashton Estate.

Charles Rothschild was both a banker and a renowned naturalist, and became the leading expert on fleas in the country. A pioneering conservationist, he argued that the whole natural habitat needed to be protected, not just rare species. He bought part of Wicken Fen in 1899, donating it to the National Trust two years later, and formed the Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves in 1912 (now the Royal Society for Nature Conservation). Although the formal gardens at Ashton Wold took a conventional Edwardian form, the wider landscape was designed to provide natural habitats to attract wildlife.

Following his death in 1923 and that of his wife Rozsika in 1940, their daughter Miriam (1908-2005) inherited the estate. Like her father, she was deeply involved in conservation, but her approach to gardening showed an even greater preference for wildness over formality. She transformed the Edwardian garden at Ashton Wold by planting trees on the terraces and sowing wildflower meadows, and her advocacy of wildflowers became highly influential in the gardening world. Her father had taught her to be a naturalist, and she continued his work with fleas to become an international expert in her own right. She was a fellow of the Royal Society, was awarded eight honorary degrees and was appointed DBE for her services to the study of natural history.

SOURCES: Enclosure map of Lordship of Oundle with Ashton (1810), Northamptonshire Record Office 2858.
Map of estates belonging to William Walcot (1811), Northamptonshire Record Office 3703.
Map of Ashton Estate by Messrs Hayward, Surveyors (1853), Northamptonshire Record Office 1728a.
Catalogue of sale of Ashton Estate (1858), Northamptonshire Record Office ZB 706/24.
Map accompanying Conveyance of Ashton Estate to Lionel Rothschild (1860), Northamptonshire Record Office 5173.
Map of Ashton Wold (c1901), in Ashton Wold House.
Ordnance Survey maps 1886, 1900, 1926.
Rothschild, Miriam, The Rothschild Gardens (1996), 82-107, 169.
'The Hon. Nathaniel Rothschild', obituary in The Times, 15 October 1923.
'Dame Miriam Rothschild', obituary in The Guardian, 22 January 2005.

REASON FOR DESIGNATION: The nature observation hide is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architecture: It has special architectural interest for the quality of design and use of materials which reflect its function and setting.
* History: It has special historic interest as part of an estate built and developed by members of the internationally important Rothschild family. In particular, it reflects the nature conservation principles of two renowned naturalists, Charles Rothschild and Miriam Rothschild.
* Rarity: It is a rare example of a nature observation hide the design of which includes both aesthetic and practical considerations, set within a designed landscape.
* Group Value: It forms an integral part of an important and unusually intact Edwardian model estate, and has group value with the estate as a whole.

Reasons for Listing

The nature observation hide is designated at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:
* Architecture: It has special architectural interest for the quality of design and use of materials which reflect its function and setting.
* History: It has special historic interest as part of an estate built and developed by members of the internationally important Rothschild family. In particular, it reflects the nature conservation principles of two renowned naturalists, Charles Rothschild and Miriam Rothschild.
* Rarity: It is a rare example of a nature observation hide the design of which includes both aesthetic and practical considerations, set within a designed landscape.
* Group Value: It forms an integral part of an important and unusually intact Edwardian model estate, and has group value with the estate as a whole.

External Links

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