Curvilinear-wall garden feature approximately 160m south-east of East Dene house, Ventnor, Isle of Wight

Summary

A curvilinear-wall garden feature, most likely to be a walled viewing area or lookout, dating to around the mid to late-C19, part of the former East Dene estate.

Description

A curvilinear-wall garden feature, most likely to be a walled viewing area or lookout, dating to around the mid to late-C19, part of the former East Dene estate.

MATERIALS: a pair of curving rubble-stone walls.

DESCRIPTION: the feature consists of a pair of parallel stone walls, just under 1m in height at the feature's entrance, which run in a curvilinear form for around 5m in length. To the south and east of the walls, the ground level falls steeply. The walls, and the ground between, are heavily covered by later foliage and earth. The feature is entered at the north-east end where a path runs between the two walls. The walls curve southwards at the same level. The walls then continue round to the south-west where they descend along with the surrounding land. The south-west end of the walls is heavily obscured by vegetation; it is unclear if there are any steps between the walls at this end. The east wall, which creates the outer curve, appears to incorporate the remains of a stone ledge.

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 JE 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 curvilinear-wall garden feature is located in the south-east corner of the shrubbery. The 1860s sales plan shows various circular pathways and features within this area of the shrubbery, including a possible mound. The First Edition OS Map (1866) depicts a circular structure near the site of this garden feature. It also appears on the Second Edition OS Map (revised: 1896, published: 1898; 1:2500) where it is depicted slightly further east, and on the Third Edition OS Map (revised: 1907, published: 1908; 1:2500) with a rectangular feature adjacent. Located near the high point on a slope within the pleasure grounds, the structure is most likely to have been built as a walled viewing area or lookout which is directed southwards towards the sea.

Reasons for Listing

The curvilinear-wall garden feature approximately 160m south-east of East Dene house, Ventnor, Isle of Wight is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* the rubble-stone parallel curvilinear walls are in a rustic style which are characteristic of other garden features within the former East Dene estate.

Historic interest:

* its likely role as a viewing area or lookout is very characteristic of the form and development of designed landscapes associated with marine villas.

Group value:

* it has strong group value as part of a marine villa estate ensemble, including East Dene house (listed Grade II*, NHLE1224413), several other listed buildings (Grade II), and the registered landscape (Grade II, NHLE 1485242).

External Links

Historic England Listing

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