Warmley House Gardens are situated in the eastern part of Bristol area, in the southern part of Warmley village. Warmley House is one of the most popular tourist attractions in this area.
Its history dates back to the 1760s. At this time Warmley villa was built by William Champion. This site is the only remaining of industrial buildings and parking areas. The Warmley Gardens is significant area of archeological remains. This garden is unique and might be called ‘bright example of industrialized gardens’. William Champion used it during the process of brass manufacturing. The water was supplied to a 13 acres lake.
Warmley Gardens contained a number of unusual features. For instance, the Statue of Neptune, erected in the middle of the lake, was made out of industrial waste of copper production. Grotto and chequered walled garden were also conducted from this material. This garden was designed in rococo style. Michael Conan in his book ‘Bourgeois and aristocratic cultural encounter in garden art, 1550-1850’ points out:
‘It was so overwhelming and so challenging to the dominant idea of garden design that it is the perfect illustration of an aesthetic independent of the prevailing aristocratic ideology’ (Conan and Oaks 2002, p.144).
Warmley Gardens attract archeologists, as they want to find out the detailed information about its past activities. For the first time, excavations were undertaken there in 1986. In 2006 emergency excavations were carried out. As a result of it ‘a number of exposed industrial features and artifacts, including slag bricks, clinker, refractory material and zinc-rich deposits’ were found (Dungworth and White 2007, p.4).
Lansdown battlefield is another place of interest that is worth mentioning. This battlefield has attractive landscape, it should be mentioned that nothing has changed there since 1643. One may even feel the spirit of the battle. Battlefield is located in 6 km to the northwest of Bath.
Researcher Jane Bingham states that: ‘The battle represented a desperate attempt by the Royalists to seize control of Bath, which was held by the Parliamentarians’ (Bingham 2012, p. 52). This battle is interesting for extreme military tactics that was used by Royalists. The royalists’ cavalry attacked in the centre and infantry on the wings. The archeological excavations were undertaken there in 1985. The received finds helped a lot in discovering the course of the battle.
Warmley Gardens and Lansdowne Battlefield are not the only notable sights located in the North East of England. Dyrham is another wonderful place to enjoy. It is situated eight miles north of Bath on the western edge of the Costwold escarpment. Its history dates back to 577 ‘when Cuthwine and Ceawlin, two Saxon leaders, fought against the Britons and killed three of their Kings, Conmail, Condidan and Farinmail on the site’ (Dyrham Conservation Area, 4). Dyrham is famous for its ‘baroque mansion, Dyrham Park’ (Dyrham Conservation Area, 3). Durham Park is a beautiful 17th century mansion, built for William Blatchwayt, which opens as a garden.
‘The history of Dyrham park began in 1686 when William Blatchwayt, a prominent civil servant, married the heiress of Dyrham and set about converting her modest family home into a grand mansion. Blathwayt’s creation is strikingly cosmopolitan. The grand eastern façade was built in the latest elegant French fashion. The house was filled with paintings and porcelain from the Netherlands, and the staircases were carved from American timber’ (Bingham 2012, p. 730).
There are evidences that Dyrham House was landscaped ‘with magnificent water gardens featuring a great water spout and a cascade pouring over a series of more than 200 steps’ (Reynolds 2007, p. 115). Unfortunately, these gardens became dilapidated by the 18th century and were ‘landscaped’ away by designers Humphrey Repton and Charles Harcourt.
The archaeological works were carried out in Dyrham Park in 2000 by Richard McDonnnell, who compiled archeological assessment of the park. In 2002 as a result of archeological researches in the area of Dyrham a number of archeological artifacts were found.
In conclusion, it should be mentioned that such places as Warmley Historic Gardens, Lansdowne battlefield, and Dyrham Park provide people a link with the past. These places help us to look back and feel the spirit of those times.
References
Bingham, J 2010, The Cotswolds: A Cultural History, Oxford University Press, New York.
Conan, M & Oaks D 2002, Bourgeois and aristocratic Cultural Encounters in Garden Art, 1550-1850, Dumbarton Oaks, Washington D.C.
Dungworth, D & White, H, 2007, Warmley Brassworks, Siston, Bristol Analysis of some Eighteenth-Century Brassworking Debris, English Heritage, London.
Dyrham Conservation Area, 2012.
Reynolds, K 2007, The Cotswold Way: Two-Way National Trail Description, Cicerone Press Limited, Milnthorpe.