Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

A landscaped estate first mentioned in the Domesday Book. The estate was landscaped by Capability Brown in the early 18th century. A series of waterworks including a millpond with waterwheel were created using a complex series of underground pipes. Between 1884 and 1900 the grounds were landscaped again with the construction of a new mansion house and landscaped terraces around it.

Monument Types

• PARK (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• WATER WHEEL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Full description

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A landscaped estate first mentioned in the Domesday Book. The estate was landscaped by Capability Brown in the early 18th century. A series of waterworks including a millpond with waterwheel were created using a complex series of underground pipes. Between 1884 and 1900 the grounds were landscaped again with the construction of a new mansion house and landscaped terraces around it. The estate, which includes a number of 18th century outbuildings including a stable complex, now forms part of a school. (1,2)

DESCRIPTION
There is a grotto behind the house, planted mainly with rhododendrons, azaleas and heathers. Terraced lawns with copper beech, weeping holly and conifers are remnants of the 19th-century garden. The parkland consists of mixed planting, including cedars, pine, beech and oak set in pasture land.

Around the lakes are areas of woodland, mainly larch, chestnut and oak, with a ground cover of wild daffodils and bluebells. These areas have been badly hit with storm damage. Adjacent to the wooded area containing the cascade is a cricket pitch and pavilion. Opposite the main entrance lodge is the old walled kitchen garden. This is still in use and is cultivated by the pupils of the school.

HISTORY
This estate was mentioned in the Domesday Book. At this time it was owned by the De Valonius family and known as Hill Park. Until the early-20th-century it was linked with the neighbouring Dunsdale Estate and reached as far as Westerham.

The estate was ‘landscaped' by Capability Brown in the early-18th-century. He used over 80 species of trees and created a series of waterworks, largely by modifying the natural course of the tributary of the river Darent flowing through the park. A mill pond in the very top southern edge of the estate was equipped with a water wheel (now replaced by an operative hydraulic ram), in order to regulate the flow of water. Below this was a series of three small ponds (now reduced to two) and further down, below the house, a lake known as Neptune Pond. This is a very irregular naturalistic feature. From this lake, the stream flows north and is diverted into a 2O foot cascade in a copse adjacent to the entrance drive.

The original mansion was situated in the north of the estate, very close to the main road (the original stable block still exists in this area). A large lake with two islands was created adjacent to the original house, and this replaced formal gardens and an ancient avenue.

The Capability Brown waterworks involved complex sequences of underground pipes and channels. In 1830 there is evidence that the lakes were well-stocked with rainbow and brown trout. In 1886, the Watney Family caused many changes. The original house was replaced by a large Victorian one further up the valley and four entrance drives, each with a lodge, were created. At this time terraced lawns and formal bedding existed on the slopes around the house. This was replaced in the 1930s by heather and low maintenance shrub beds.

Site timeline
1700 to 1733: The estate was ‘landscaped’ by Capability Brown in the early-18th-century.
1886: The original house was replaced by a large Victorian one further up the valley and four entrance drives, each with a lodge, were created.
1987: The gardens were badly affected by storm damage.

People associated with this site
Designer: Lancelot Brown (born 1716 died 06/02/1783)

Features
terraced lawn
Feature created: 1886 to 1930
Terraced lawns with copper beech, weeping holly and conifers are remnants of the 19th-century garden.
Lake
A large lake with two islands was created adjacent to the original house.
Stream
The stream flows north from the lake to the cascade.
Drive
Feature created: 1886
Four entrance drives, each with a lodge, were created.
Grotto
There is a grotto behind the house, planted mainly with rhododendrons, azaleas and heathers.
Gate lodge
Feature created: 1886
Four entrance drives, each with a lodge, were created.
Lake
Below the house there is a lake known as Neptune Pond. This is a very irregular naturalistic feature.
Kitchen garden
Opposite the main entrance lodge is the old walled kitchen garden. This is still in use and is cultivated by the handicapped pupils of the school.
Pond
Feature created: 1700 to 1733
Creator: Lancelot Brown (born 1716 died 06/02/1783)
Below the millpond was a series of three small ponds (now reduced to two).
Planting
Feature created: 1930 to 1939
The terraced lawns and formal beds were replaced in the 1930s by heather and low maintenance shrub beds.
Stable block
pond
Feature created: 1700 to 1733
Creator: Lancelot Brown (born 1716 died 06/02/1783)
A mill pond in the very top southern edge of the estate was equipped with a water wheel (now replaced by an operative hydraulic ram), in order to regulate the flow of water.
Cascade
Feature created: 1700 to 1733
Creator: Lancelot Brown (born 1716 died 06/02/1783)
There is a 2O foot cascade in a copse adjacent to the entrance drive.
Plantings
Terraced lawns and formal bedding existed on the slopes around the house.
Planted: 1886 to 1930
(3)

Assessment of the landscape of Valence for registration occurred in 2016 as part of the Capability Brown Tercentenary Project. The resulting report concluded that "the criteria for registration are not fulfilled" and that "Valence does not merit addition to the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens" (5).

<1> Kent County Council, 1996, The historic parks and gardens of Kent (Kent Gardens Compendium) (Unpublished document). SKE12972.

<2> AOC Archaeology Group, 2007, An archaeological desk-based assessment of Valence House, Westerham, Kent (Unpublished document). SKE12971.

<3> Parks and Gardens Data Services Limited (PGDS), 2005, Parks and Gardens UK (www.parksandgardens.org) (Website). SKE16061.

<4> Kent Gardens Trust, 2011, Valence, Sevenoaks: The Kent Compendium of Historic Parks and Gardens for Sevenoaks District (Unpublished document). SKE30619.

<5> Historic England, 2016, Valence Estate, Westerham: Capability Brown 300 Project Designation Report (Listing Report). SKE31877.

Sources and further reading