A garden and park laid out c1812-c1820 by John Webb for the Marchioness of Downshire, remodelling an earlier C18 park.
LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING Ombersley Court is situated c.330m W of the village of Ombersley.The area under assessment is c90ha and is bounded to the S and W by agricultural land, and to the N and E by the settlement of Ombersley and the A449. The land in the N part of the park is largely level around Ombersley Court; to the S the ground undulates with high points to the E of the Black Pool. There are views from parts of the park to the Malvern Hills to the SW.
ENTRANCES AND APPROACHES Ombersley Court is approached from the A4133 Holt Fleet Road which passes N of the park. The present main approach begins c260m N of the house through a pair of gates designed c.1814 by John Webb (listed Grade II). The drive is bounded by ashlar walls and continues S towards the stable block and the rear of the house; a further pair of gates leading E off the drive join another drive through trees to the front of the house. A former entrance lies approximately 1km SE of the house, where a pair of gates and an associated lodge survive (listed Grade II); the drive through the park to the house is no longer extant.
PRINCIPAL BUILDING Ombersley Court (listed Grade I) stands on level ground with its principal facade facing E towards the estate village of Ombersley, with the main entrance under a portico supported on Ionic columns. The house is rectangular on plan, of seven bays and three storeys with a projecting wing to the N, and facades of ashlar Clipsham stone. Early C18 quadrant wings were demolished when the house was remodelled by John Webb c1814. A service wing then erected by Webb to the N was also demolished in the 1960s.
GARDENS AND PLEASURE GROUNDS The gardens are situated mainly to the S and W of the house, with large areas of lawn planted with specimen trees and a tree belt to the west.
The large forecourt in front of the house to the E has lawn beyond, with a large Wellingtonia planted in 1853, and a ha-ha between this area and the park beyond. A drive leads S from the house to an iron gate on the boundary with the park, and there is a further stretch of ha-ha W of this, with views S from the house and the lawn. There are clumps of trees which frame the views to and from the house. The area to the W of the house is enclosed by a tree belt to the W and the kitchen garden to the N. It is planted with specimen trees and is shown with walks through the woodland areas on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map of 1884; some shrub planting and parts of the network of paths survive here. There is a late C18 ice house amongst the trees to the S. To the N a large, early C19 glasshouse is attached to the kitchen garden and faces S over the lawn.
The area NE of the house and E of the drive is wooded and is shown on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map with some paths connecting the house with St Andrew's Church to the E. A pair of gates survives in the wall N of the church, although no paths appear to survive through the trees.
PARK The main areas of the park lie to the S and E of the house. There was previously an avenue of trees which led E from the house to the village of Ombersley, and the remnants of this avenue can be seen on historic maps. It no longer survives, and the view from the house is now across open parkland and screened at the E by C20 planting.
The S portion of the park has the lake or ponds at its centre. These are damned to the W where there was previously a mill and a quarry forming picturesque features, outside the area here registered, and there are narrower sections of the ponds to the N and NE, mostly now silted up. Historic maps show that there were areas of trees partially enclosing the lake; it is now screened almost entirely on all sides by tree growth. The land E of the lake, stretching from Ombersley Court in the N to the Sinton Lodge and gates (listed Grade II) in the S and Park Farm beyond, remains as open parkland planted with trees. The drive which formerly wound through the park here, connecting the house and the lodge, is no longer extant. The W portion of the park, S and N of the lake, has been in agricultural use since the mid-C20 and there are few parkland trees surviving.
There are views within the park, those from the house primarily look E and S. To the S, the view from the house is framed by trees with borrowed views of the Malvern Hills beyond, approximately 20km to the SW. The view to the lake is now screened by trees. Looking N from the lake, the view towards the house shows the S elevation framed by trees, with the tall spire of St Andrew's Church in Ombersley rising to the E. From the S end of the park there are views back to the house and along the River Severn, which runs past the park to the W.
KITCHEN GARDEN The kitchen garden (listed Grade II) is located NW of the house and stables, and is enclosed by a tall brick wall on all sides, with a smaller enclosed area on the S side which has potting sheds and formerly contained glasshouses. The walls of the kitchen garden are partially heated, and there are stone piers at regular intervals around the walls, some of which may act as chimney flues.
On the S side of the kitchen garden, there is a large glasshouse which faces over the pleasure grounds W of the house. Historic maps appear to show this as being partially screened from the pleasure grounds by planting, but it seems clear that it was intended to form a feature within the garden.