A deer park originating from the early C16 with late C18 landscaped gardens created from a late C17 and mid C18 formal layout, with extensive woodland and C19 and C20 planting of rare trees and shrubs, owned, landscaped and managed by the Strangways family since 1500. LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING The park covers c600ha, and is situated in a rural area in West Dorset, mainly in the parish of Melbury Sampford, with parts also falling within neighbouring parishes. It is surrounded by farmland forming part of the wider estate, with the village of Melbury Osmond situated to its north, Evershot to its south and Melbury Bubb to its east. The A37 runs through the far eastern part of the site flanked by Bubb Down Plantation marking its eastern boundary. It is believed that the extent of the site more or less covers that of the original deer park originating from the early C16. The site retains a number of important historic views, as depicted by artists in the C18 and C19. ENTRANCES AND APPROACHES From the north the site is approached via an entrance off the A37, flanked by Yeovil Lodge (dated 1887, listed Grade II). This gives access to a long tree lined drive, passing Drive End Lodge (early C17 with mid C19 alterations, listed Grade II), and leading further south through the park for c m to the north front of Melbury House. Further south along the A37, at the north-east corner the site, is a further entrance marked by Chetnole Lodge (listed Grade II). Dated 1870, it is contemporary with works to the house by Anthony Salvin. From Evershot to the south, the site is accessed via the Lion Gates (late-C17 Ham stone piers topped with standing lions, with a later gate, listed Grade II), moved to this position in the 1770s from their original location east of the house. The entrance is flanked by Lion Lodge, originating from the late C18 or early C19 with later alterations. A tree lined drive runs northwards through the park and to the house. From Holywell to the south-east, the site can be accessed via an entrance flanked by Station Lodge dated 1859 (listed Grade II). In the late C17 the main approach to the park was from Bubb Down to the east, from where a long avenue planted with a double row of Elm trees led through the park and crossed a ten-arched bridge over a formal canal, to the new east front of the house with its forecourt adorned with the Lion Gate (see above). PRINCIPAL BUILDING Melbury House (listed Grade I) is a C16 courtyard house with castellated prospect tower built for Sir Giles Strangways in the 1530s, remodelled in the late C17 with Classical style south and east elevations facing the gardens, and with further alterations and extensions dating from the late C19. It stands in the centre of the park, on an eminence with slightly falling ground on all sides. Immediately north is the Stable Yard (listed Grade I), built in Ham stone ashlar with slate roofs. It includes the late C17 west block of the former north courtyard to the house, and has an early C19 stable yard to its west. Adjacent, to the south-east of the house, stands the C15 Church of St Mary (listed Grade I) and altered and extended in 1874. Within the churchyard stands a mid C17 table tomb to William Heel (listed Grade I). GARDEN AND PLEASURE GROUND Gently sloping lawns lie to the south and east of the house extending westwards to a pleasure ground south of the walled garden (see below) planted with mature specimen trees. The pleasure ground is enclosed to the west by a sunken ha ha created in the 1740s by Susannah Strangways-Horner (restored in the late 1990s). Near the south-west corner of the walled garden stands an octagonal, castellated two-storey banqueting house, known as The Turret (listed Grade II*). It was built in c1530 by Sir Giles Strangways, with Gothic decorations added in the C18. Originally a pair, it formed part of the C16 formal gardens first laid out by Sir Giles and later adopted in Susannah Strangways-Horner’s garden. Circa 150m south of the house lies an artificial lake, known as Melbury Lake, which was probably first created from a series of Medieval fishpond's. At its far west end stands a stone rubble-domed structure, its function and history unknown, but believed to be a garden feature dating from the mid or late C18. Melbury Lake was altered several times in the late C17, when it formed part of the formal layout of the gardens and the east approach with the ten-arched bridge which crossed a canal east of the house. Melbury Lake was again transformed in the 1740s by Susannah Strangways when it formed an important formal water feature in her new garden. In the early 1790s, as part of the extensive landscape works carried out for the second Earl of Ilchester, both the canals were turned into informal lakes. Beyond the lawns east of the house is the Valley Garden, incorporating a section of the eastern stream that runs through the park (see below) and includes a serpentine walk and a significant number of exotic tree- and plant species. Circa 250m north of the house is Valley Pond, an informal lake created in the mid C18, re-instated in the mid 1990s, with c50m beyond it to the north-east, the C18 thatched Valley Cottage, formerly of two estate cottages with attached laundry (listed Grade II). PARK The park incorporates a number of valleys and glades, the main ones being that of the two streams in the east and west part of the park. The streams feed a number of artificial lakes within the park, including Lucerne Lake to the east, Highwoods Pond and cascade to the north-west, and a series of three smaller ponds to the southwest, called Skating Pond or Ice Pond (fed by springs), Turtle Pond and Trout Pond. Lucerne Lake (formerly called Wheatley Lake), was constructed in 1865 and has a circa late C19 thatched boathouse at its north-west corner. Highwoods Pond and its cascade were introduced in the late C18, and restored in the mid 1990s. Skating Pond or Ice Pond dates from the C19 (restored in the mid 1990s), and is associated with the estate’s historic ice production. Trout Pond and Turtle Pond were created in the C19 and were restored and replanted in the 1980s. Beyond the valleys with the two streams, to the east, south and west, the land rises again, and is planted with considerable areas of mature woodland including Great High Wood (an Ancient Woodland site), with the Etoile, later also known as The Circle, situated to the north-west. The latter comprises of a central clearing with radial avenues cut through the woodland, first created in the 1740s by Susannah Strangways-Horner when the deer park was extended. To the south-west lies Stuttcombe Bottom with Lewcombe Woods beyond, and to the south-east is Banger’s Moor, with Evershot Hill Plantation beyond. Bubb Down along the east boundary is a chalk outlier forming one side of an afforested combe planted from the late C18 to the mid C19. The park has a significant number of veteran parkland trees and a number of formal avenues (see approaches above), including also Stavordale Avenue, a late-C19 lime avenue commemorating the birth of the fifth Earl’s eldest son. In the southern part of the park approximately 500m south-east of the house, is an underground domed brick ice house, probably dating from the late C18. KITCHEN GARDEN The rectangular shaped kitchen garden immediately west of the house covers an area of c1ha. It is enclosed by red brick walls in English bond, with Ham stone copings (listed Grade II) with attached to the outside, a contemporary Gardener’s Cottage (listed Grade II) and a two storey Bothy (listed Grade II) added in the mid to late C19. Subdivided by hedges, it remains partly in use as a kitchen garden and nursery, with the eastern part now (early C21) in use as a private garden, including a tennis court. The kitchen garden was completed in 1808 (instigated in 1800 by the second Earl of Ilchester) and replaced an earlier kitchen garden that was situated further from the house to its north-west.