LOCATION, SETTING, LANDFORM, BOUNDARIES, AND AREA Wavendon hamlet lies in the clay vale at the foot of the Greensand ridge which rises to Woburn Sands and Apsley Heath to the south-east. Wavendon House estate lies to the north-east of the hamlet at about 78m OD. The house stands in the middle of its pleasure grounds and park, where the level drops slightly from south to north. The soil is a stiff loam and Greensand sand with an underlying geology of Oxford clay and gravel. The core of the estate covers about 14 ha (36 acres), about a third of the area depicted as park in 1815, which extended from Park Farm (listed Grade II, NHLE 1213319) to the west, to Lower End to the north-east and about two thirds of the distance from the southern lake towards Cranfield Road, encompassing land now managed as a golf course that was previously park or farmland as opposed to pleasure grounds.
The registered landscape is roughly an inverted triangular on plan, with the base along Lower End Road to the north, where it is bounded by a hedge and fence. Separate houses and their gardens fronting the road are not included. It includes the walled garden to the northwest, where it is bounded by a rail and post fence, hedge and mature trees, overlooking farmland towards Park Farm. The boundary fence, and increasingly a belt of trees, continue southwards to the southern tip of the lake, forming the boundary between the pleasure grounds and former park, now golf course. A similar fence forms the eastern boundary, following the lake before following the field boundaries, planted with hedges and trees, to the east of the north drive. ENTRANCES AND APPROACHES The main entrance is from Lower End Road, to the north, where it passes an early C19 lodge (listed Grade II, NHLE 1213159). It runs in a straight line on a tree-lined causeway along the south-eastern side of the northern lake, flanked by mature trees, principally oak to the east and planes interspersed with conifers and ornamental trees to the west. It crosses the northern of two bridges before curving between the house and the former service buildings (Grade II C18 stables NHLE 1213162 and Grade II C19 coach house, NHLE 1213186), to approach the main, south front of the house, where a gravelled carriage sweep roughly corresponds with the carriage sweep shown on the 1880s OS map. A drive from the bridge to the north of the house, leading towards C20 buildings beyond it and to the walled garden, follows the historic route indicated on the 1880s OS map.
A second track, the former southern-western drive, runs from the south-west corner of the house between yew hedges to the boundary, from where it continues beyond the site as a track, between mature trees, to a southern lodge, adjacent to the Motte Castle 220m south-east of Wavendon Manor (scheduled monument NHLE 1011301).
PRINCIPAL BUILDING Wavendon House (listed Grade II*, NHLE 1289190) is said to be of C17 origins, but remodelled in the C18 and after 1798, when its aspect was reversed. At its core is a symmetrical, two-storey, hipped-roofed house, with a pedimented centrepiece on the north front. An added or extended western range forms a symmetrical south front, which has a central entrance beneath a Tuscan portico, between canted outer bays. It has a lower two-storey range to the east, extended in the C20, with a long hipped roof, and an added single-storey polygonal bay on the north front. Internally, the ground floor is predominantly mid- to later C18 in character, with a closed string stair, rooms with three-quarter, raised and fielded panelling and moulded chimneypieces, and doorcases with eared architraves, pulvinated friezes, and cornices.
GARDENS, PLEASURE GROUNDS AND PARK The principal features are the two lakes, their connecting canal and bridges and their relationship to the house, its service buildings and walled garden. The pear shape of each lake, and islands within them, create perspectives with long views in either direction, closed at the outer ends by belts of trees.
The northern drive overlooks the lake which widens to the north, where there is now an island; the water management of the lake depends on a water course on land between the listed North Lodge and Lodge Farm to the west which is included in the registered area for this reason. The lake is currently fringed with reeds and flag iris and to the west of it the field is under rough pasture, with an open view over it towards the house which emerges above the bridge. To the east, fields divided by rail fences and backed by hedges and hedgerow trees are under pasture. The local Historic Environment Record notes the footings of an ice house beyond the northern end of the lake but it is understood that these remains were demolished in the C20.
The northern bridge (listed Grade II NHLE 1289204) is aligned with the drive, with the lake narrowing to a canal and turning south-eastwards beneath it. The bridge is built of Greensand stone rubble, with a solid parapet with a flat stone slab coping and curved bastions on the northern end. It has tripartite arches with a larger central opening, and lower, blind, flanking arches, all with pronounced keystones.
The canal curves to the rear of the service buildings, turning south-west before passing under the late C20 house adjacent to the southern bridge, where it meets the southern lake. The bridge is also of Greensand stone rubble with tripartite arches, with small curved bastions at either end, but additionally has the remains of a cascade to the north of it, the direction of flow being from south to north.
From the south front of the house, lawns drop gently to the southern lake, which is widest at its northern end, tapering into the distance where it is backed by a plantation of trees and shrubs, beyond two wooded islands, one of which is circular. Unusually the lake lies east-west in front of the house, its alignment determined by the water supply. By 1815, and probably original to the design, there was a small circular island in the lake and the 1885 OS map shows boathouses on the south-west shore of the lake. The south-eastern side of the lake is backed by a laurel hedge. A gladed path winds along the western edge of the lake in a belt of trees and shrubs from which there are views towards the house. The slipway and position of a former boathouse, marked on the later C19 OS maps, is visible at the north-western end of the lake. There was also a further boat house on its eastern side.
To the north of the house a lawn overlooks the rough pasture by the lake. To the west of the house, in front of the walled garden, is a lawn where there are two white mulberry trees (Morus alba).
To the east of the house are the remains of a sinuous belt of trees, that on the 1815 and C19 and C20 OS maps echoes the shape of the lakes. The western section is within the registered area. KITCHEN GARDEN The walled garden is aligned north-west to south-east and is about 0.4 ha in size. Its entrance is about 72m west of the former north entrance to the house. It is built of soft red and red brown brick, a little smaller than the standard 9” x 4” x 2.5”, laid in English bond, without embellishment and with later buttresses, repairs and patching. The south-west wall is missing a section at the southern end. Historic maps indicate that by the later C19 it was laid out on a quadrant plan. Some later C19 scalloped terracotta edgings remain in place, lining diagonal paths. It has a central entrance in the south-east wall, with plain brick piers and inter-war C20 wrought iron gates. The northern entrance has a framed and boarded door in a pegged doorframe. There is no evidence that the north wall was heated for the propagation of fruits, although greenhouses, now demolished, were built against it southern face. There are C19 and C20 and bothies built against the outer face of the northern wall, and footings of former glasshouses on the outer face of the southern wall.
The water system is said to resemble systems employed elsewhere by Woods. In the centre of the garden is a rectangular water basin and a well, some 41’ deep, reaching the same level as the lake, to which it is connected. There is a second pump on the north wall.
The central north-south axis is flanked by a later C19 or early C20 pear arbour, on an exceptional scale, supported on a large arched metal-frame, with lateral ties.
Beyond the walled gardens are the remains of cold frames and the C19 and C20 orchard (depicted on the 1815 and later maps), that includes walnut, plum and apple trees. The former orchard is part of the historic parcel of land, and has been in use as an orchard since at least the early C19 but it is much depleted, and lacks the special historic interest to be included in the registered area.
Private gardens to individual properties established in the C20 within the registered area are noted as not contributing to the special interest of the C18 landscape.