Identification and description | |||||
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Name | PRIORY PARK, DUDLEY | ||||
Location |
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Localisation | Latitude: 52.515855 Longitude: -2.0852341 National Grid Reference: SO 94313 90889 Map: Download a full scale map (PDF) |
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Overview | Heritage Category: Park and Garden Grade: II List Entry Number: 1001650 Date first listed: 07-Nov-2002 |
An early C20 public park developed as part of a town planning scheme by Edward Prentice
Mawson from an existing early and mid C19 villa garden on the site of a medieval priory.
HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT
A Cluniac priory dedicated to St James was founded at Dudley c 1150 by Gervase Paganell
to the west of the ridge on which Dudley Castle stands. The priory buildings were
extended and enhanced during the C14 and C15, and during the later medieval period
its church became the customary burial place for the Lords Dudley. The priory was
dissolved in 1539, when it and its estates were granted to John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland.
At the attainder of Northumberland in 1553, the property reverted to the Crown, and
was subsequently granted to Edward Sutton, who had been created Lord Dudley, in 1554
(VCH 1906). During the Civil War the remains of the priory were utilised by Parliamentary
forces besieging the Castle, but the remainder of the C17 and the C18 saw the ruins
pillaged for stone and partially occupied by various manufacturers (Hemingway 2000).
Edmund Grose visited in 1776 and noted the remains of fishponds to the north and west
of the priory ruins (ibid). By the late C18 and early C19 the priory had become an
object of antiquarian interest (ibid).
In 1825 the Earl of Dudley constructed a new residence, Priory Hall (listed grade
II), on land to the north-west of the ruins. Initially intended as a family residence
in the town, or as a dower house, the house was later used by the Earl's agent (Pevsner
1974). The priory ruins were incorporated into the grounds of the new house as a picturesque
feature. In order to run a drive through the ruins a large swathe was cut across the
site. The industrial additions were removed, rubbish cleared, and the walls planted
with ivy. The remains of the medieval fishponds were drained, and a drive leading
from the town was constructed, approaching the new house through park-like grounds.
Further areas of paddock extended to the east and north of the house (Treasure, c
1830).
Priory Hall and its surrounding land remained the property of the earls of Dudley
until 1926, when it was acquired by Dudley Borough Council. It was intended that the
majority of the land acquired should be laid out as a housing estate to re-house families
living in slum conditions in the centre of the town. To this end, a development plan
was commissioned from Edward Prentice Mawson. In his Report (1929), Mawson outlined
the rationale behind his proposals: the preservation of the historic interest of the
site, while at the same time providing space for recreation. In the broader scheme,
the area around the priory was to be reserved for the best class of housing, built
at a density not to exceed six houses per acre (Mawson 1929). Mawson provided a design
for the development of the park, showing the existing ornamented ground being retained
to the south of the Hall and around the priory ruins, formal gardens to the east of
the Hall, and an area of tennis courts, bowling greens and other facilities arranged
to the north of the building. The implemented scheme differs significantly from that
published in Mawson's Report, but on stylistic grounds the surviving scheme is attributed
to him.
Today (2002), Priory Park remains municipal property.
DESCRIPTION
LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING Priory Park is situated c 0.5km north
of the centre of Dudley, to the north of the A459 road, The Broadway. The c 9ha site
is bounded to the north by Woodland Avenue and to the west by the A4168, Priory Road.
The southern boundary is formed by The Broadway, while to the south-east the site
is bounded by Gervase Drive. The north-east boundary is formed by the rear gardens
of domestic properties situated on the west side of Paganel Drive. The site slopes
gently from the southern boundary towards Priory Hall, while to the north of the Hall
the ground falls gently towards the northern boundary. To the east, The Green, east
of Paganel Drive rises gently eastwards, while beyond the domestic properties on the
east side of Gervase Road the wooded west-facing slope of Castle Hill rises steeply
and dominates views from the park. There are also views north-west towards the wooded
Wren's Nest Hill from the northern section of the park.
ENTRANCES AND APPROACHES Priory Park is approached from the junction of The Broadway
and Priory Road which is marked by a traffic roundabout situated at the south-west
corner of the site. The entrance comprises a simple metal barrier flanked by evergreen
shrubs which provides access to a tarmac carriage drive which sweeps north-north-east
across an area of undulating lawns planted with specimen ornamental trees to reach
an area of car park to the south of Priory Hall. This drive corresponds to the drive
shown on J Treasure¿s Plan of the Town of Dudley (c 1830), while the car park corresponds
to the early C19 carriage turn. A further drive leads north-east from Priory Road
at a point c 200m north-north-west of the junction of Priory Road and The Broadway,
passing an early C19 single-storey octagonal lodge, to reach the south-west corner
of Priory Hall. This drive is also shown on Treasure's Plan (c 1830); the lodge shown
by Treasure at the Priory Road end of this drive does not survive. There are further
informal entrances to the park from Priory Road to the north-west, Woodland Avenue
to the north, and Paganel Drive to the east.
PRINCIPAL BUILDING Priory Hall (listed grade II) stands towards the centre of the
site on an artificially levelled terrace, from which the ground falls away to the
south, east, and north. The house, in Tudor-gothic style, is constructed in ashlar
and comprises generally two storeys under a crenellated parapet. The building is lit
by stone mullion and transom windows, while the picturesque effect is heightened by
corner turrets and decorative chimney stacks.
Priory Hall was constructed for the Earl of Dudley in 1825, with the intention that
it should serve as the Earl's residence in the town. It was subsequently used as the
agent¿s residence and office, and today (2002) is used as a Registry Office.
GARDENS AND PLEASURE GROUNDS To the south and south-east of Priory Hall, lawns fall
away gently and merge with undulating grass planted with specimen trees and shrubs,
some of which survive from the C19 pleasure grounds associated with the house (Treasure,
c 1830). The remains of St James' Priory (scheduled ancient monument; listed grade
I) are situated at the south-east corner of this area. The lawns are screened from
public roads to the west and south by evergreen shrubbery.
The eastern boundary is formed by Paganel Drive, which separates the park from an
area of open space planted with specimen trees known as The Green. A broad rectangular
panel of lawn extends parallel to the road on the eastern boundary of the park; several
geometrical rose beds survive, while traces of further similar beds can be discerned.
At the northern end of this lawn is a sunken garden comprising a rectangular lily
pool surrounded by lawns and herbaceous borders, all enclosed within low rubble-stone
walls. Stone steps placed at the centre of the north and south walls descend into
this area, while to the north, on the axis of the sunken garden, is a raised terrace
similarly enclosed on three sides by stone walls, and planted with a pair of specimen
monkey puzzles. The sunken garden and terrace appear to form part of E P Mawson's
1929 scheme for the park, and correspond approximately to the site of a pond marked
on Treasure's Plan (c 1830). To the north-west of the sunken garden is a shelter (roofless,
2002) comprising a stone terrace enclosed on three sides by stone walls, with circular
rubble-stone columns supporting a timber pergola-style superstructure which takes
the place of the original roof. The shelter, which was donated by Mrs Norah Hanson
JP, was constructed in 1954 (Programme, 1954), and the surrounding area was laid out
as a 'rock-studded slope' (Superintendent's Report, 1955); the rocks were removed
in the late C20.
Lawns retained by a C19 buttressed stone wall return below the east facade of Priory
Hall. The retaining wall supports a mid or late C20 wrought-iron safety fence. A flight
of stone steps aligned on the east facade of Priory Hall descends from the lawn to
the Italian Garden, a rectangular area enclosed to the north, east, and south by low
rubble-stone walls. The garden is laid out with a raised grass terrace to the west
supported by further rubble-stone walls, from which a further flight of stone steps
descends to a lower terrace which is laid out with a series of geometrical flower
beds set in panels of lawn divided by flagged walks. These panels are partly edged
by low stone walls. The Italian Garden forms part of E P Mawson's scheme for Priory
Park.
From both the east lawn below Priory Hall, and the lower level of the Italian Garden,
walks lead north-east to reach the area of park to the north of the Hall. To the north-east
of the building a raised mound is planted with mature specimen trees and shrubs. This
feature survives from the early C19 pleasure grounds associated with Priory Hall (Treasure,
c 1830).
The ground to the north of Priory Hall is laid out for recreation. An axial walk flanked
by panels of lawn and geometrical rose beds leads north from a single-storey pavilion
through a series of terraces laid out with tennis courts and bowling greens, to reach
the northern boundary of the park. The pavilion is constructed in brick, with an open
front to the north supported by four circular columns. The structure is now (2002)
roofless. The axial walk is broken by shallow flights of steps which correspond to
the divisions between each terrace. The two northernmost sets of steps are of different
design, with three flights being divided by square stone bastions which formerly contained
low topiary yews forming solid cubes. Low hedges separate the northernmost bowling
greens (that to the north-east now forming a miniature football pitch) from the axial
walk. The southern pitches and green have been relaid in the late C20, some as hard-surfaced
tennis courts and one as a children's play area. The tennis courts were originally
opened in 1933 by Dorothy Round, a local sportswoman, twice Wimbledon singles champion
(1934 and 1937). Hedges which may have separated these areas from the axial walk do
not survive.
To the north and north-east of the terraced sports pitches are areas of gently sloping
lawn planted with specimen trees. A row of horse chestnuts extends long the western
boundary of the northern section of the park, while mature shrubbery extends along
the eastern boundary as far as the south-east corner of the Italian Garden.
The northern section of the park and the surviving planting formed part of the scheme
for the park devised in 1929 by E P Mawson. Despite the alterations to the sports
pitches, tennis courts, and bowling greens, this area of the park survives substantially
as laid out in 1929.
OTHER LAND A service yard is situated to the north-west of Priory Hall. This area
is today (2002) in mixed used, part being used as a car park while the remainder continues
to be used as a municipal service yard. This whole area is enclosed by brick and stone
walls to the west, north, and south and by Priory Hall to the east; it corresponds
to the early C19 kitchen garden associated with Priory Hall.
REFERENCES
A Guide to Dudley Castle... also a short account of the Priory (1840), p 57 Victoria
History of the County of Worcester II, (1906), pp 158-62; III, (1913), pp 101-02 N
Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Staffordshire (1974), p 120 English Heritage Register
Review: West Midlands (1996) J Hemingway, An Illustrated Chronicle of the Cluniac
Priory of St James, Dudley (2000)
Maps J Treasure, Plan of the Town of Dudley & its Environs, c 1830 (copy on EH file)
E P Mawson, alternate schemes for the laying out of Priory Park (in Mawson 1929)
OS 6" to 1 mile: 1st edition published 1886 OS 25" to 1 mile: 1st edition surveyed
1884, published 1887 2nd edition published 1904 3rd edition published 1919 1938 edition
Archival items E P Mawson, The Priory Estate, Dudley - Report on Proposals for its
Development prepared under the direction of the Council, 1929 (Dudley Record Office)
Aerial photographs, c 1930 (Dudley Record Office) Photographs of Priory Park, c 1930
(Dudley Record Office) Park Superintendents' Reports, 1952-5 (Dudley Record Office)
Programme of the Dedication and Opening of the new Shelter, 1954 (Dudley Record Office)
Description written: October 2002 Amended: May 2004 Register Inspector: JML Edited:
June 2004
This garden or other land is registered under the Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments Act 1953 within the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens by Historic England for its special historic interest.