Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

The present Chevening House was built, reputedly to designs by Inigo Jones in about 1620 for Richard Lennard, thirteenth Lord Dacre, on the site of an earlier building. The house and gardens were re-modelled after 1718. Further changes were made from the 1770s onwards. The fourth Earl, Philip, succeeded in 1816 by which time the park had become neglected. A keen gardener and forester, he spent thirty-seven years planting at Chevening and was responsible for the basic layout of the present gardens and surrounding park. Chevening Park has gardens of 16 hectares, pleasure grounds and a park of 280 hectares surrounding a country house. The house was remodelled in the early and late 18th century and extended during the first half of the 19th century.

The house stands in a fine wooded park. In the garden, features of an earlier design combine with those of this century. The landscape in this area below the North Downs scarp is of high quality and an ambitious restoration programme is now underway.

Monument Types

• DEER PARK (Post Medieval to Modern - 1719 AD to 2050 AD)
• FORMAL GARDEN (Post Medieval - 1719 AD to 1900 AD)
• ORNAMENTAL LAKE (Post Medieval to Modern - 1719 AD to 2050 AD)
• WOOD (Post Medieval to Modern - 1719 AD to 2050 AD)
• GLASSHOUSE (Post Medieval to Modern - 1770 AD to 1987 AD)
• HEDGE MAZE (Post Medieval to Modern - 1800 AD to 2050 AD)
• ITALIAN GARDEN (Post Medieval to Modern - 1800 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

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The Earl Stanhope laid out the gardens in the French manner in the early 18th century. A Kip engraving of 1719 shows the formal, stylised design, (see reference material in County Planning Department). According to Mrs E Banks, 'There is no doubt that the garden was created as illustrated in the engraving because there is an accurate estate map circa 1720 and a further map dated 1747 which show the maturing of the complicated design'.
Later in the century tree planting was continued with woodland belts and roundels. A lake was superimposed over the formal canal and the earlier shape was revealed recently when drainage of the lake took place as part of the restoration programme.
In the early 19th century Phillip, 4th Earl of Stanhope, spent 37 years planting and restoring the neglected gardens. He made an Italian garden, a maze and planted many trees and shrubs. Lists of plants ordered still survive and his memorandum on forestry showed a complete understanding of the subject (Mrs E Banks).
He dismissed the possibilities of restoring the canal due to the high costs involved. The same problem still exists today. His enthusiasm for the garden prompted him to open it regularly to visitors. His son planted the parterre in the mid-19th century.
The Chevening Trustees took over the management of the estate in 1967 on the 7th Earl Stanhope's death, and an ambitious programme of restoration has been undertaken starting with the house, and now the grounds, the latter under the direction of Mrs E Banks. Her excellent study of Chevening and her case for restoration is a valuable document (see reference).
The following is from the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest. The present Chevening House was built, reputedly to designs by Inigo Jones (1573-1652), in about 1620 for Richard Lennard, thirteenth Lord Dacre, on the site of an earlier building. Following the death of Thomas, fifteenth Lord Dacre and Earl of Sussex in 1717, the estate was sold to General James Stanhope (1673-1721), who was created Earl Stanhope in 1718. Stanhope added wings and two pavilions to the house and remodelled the gardens. An engraving by Badeslade, published in 1719 (Harris), shows a complex set of formal gardens south of the house. Nicholas Dubois, Thomas Archer, and Thomas Fort are all known to have worked on the house and each could have been involved in the gardens. Philip, second Earl Stanhope (1714-86) inherited the estate while still a minor. From 1763 to 1773 he lived in Switzerland and during this period Chevening was let to his cousin, William Pitt, first Earl Chatham. A letter exists from Lord Chatham to Lady Stanhope stating that he had contacted Lancelot Brown (1716-83), as she had instructed, but there is no evidence that Brown actually became involved. The second Earl's wife and his son, Charles, third Earl (1753-1816), as well as making alterations to the house, were responsible from the 1770s onwards for extensive changes in the grounds, softening the formal layout in a more fashionable form. A map of 1775 by Woodward shows the first stages of these alterations. The fourth Earl, Philip (1781-1855), succeeded in 1816 by which time the park had become neglected. A keen gardener and forester, he spent thirty-seven years planting at Chevening and was responsible for the basic layout of the present gardens and surrounding park. A codicil to his will requested that the garden, pleasure ground, park, woods, and plantations be left unchanged, and his wish was largely respected. Some renovation was carried out in the 1930s and in 1970 Geoffrey Jellicoe (1900-96) became involved in the work. An extensive restoration plan was begun in 1980. On the death of the seventh Earl in 1967, Chevening passed to a trust and it is now (2001) used as an official residence, the occupant being nominated by the Prime Minister.

Site timeline
1967: On the death of the seventh Earl in 1967, Chevening passed to a trust and it is now (2001) used as an official residence.
1987: Much of the planting was destroyed by the 1987 storm.

People associated with this site
Sculptor: John Bacon the Younger (born 1777 died 1859)
Designer: Lancelot Brown (born 1716 died 06/02/1783)
Architect: Nicholas Dubois (born 1665 died 14/06/1735)
Architect: Thomas Fort (died 1745)
Architect: Sir Geoffrey Alan Jellicoe (born 08/10/1900 died 17/07/1996)
Architect: Inigo Jones (born 15/07/1573 died 21/06/1652)
Architect: John Webb (2) (born 1611 died 1672)

Features
cascade

stream

parterre
The Parterre just west of the house is of box in-filled with golden Lonicera nitida, Senecio greyii, cotton lavender and sage.

tree avenue
A new double avenue of 100 lime trees has been planted on the northern front.

ha-ha

lake

tree clump
Feature created: 1979
The imprint of the old early-17th century design is now being established with hornbeams (‘Cuarinilles’) as part of the restoration programme.

maze
There is a yew maze four feet high.

tree avenue
South of the house are two double avenues of fastigate hornbeam.

tree clump
Mature cedars are west of the house with a group of fine mature 30 metre limes.

From the north-west facade there is a grand vista towards the North Downs, terminating in a visual key hole cut through the woodland which is still maintained.
Much was devastated by the storm on October 16th 1987. A new double avenue of 100 lime trees has been planted on the northern front. A walled garden to the west of the house has unique double hexagon brick walls 10 feet high, in reasonable condition but now used as a vegetable garden. The glasshouses have been demolished.
The Parterre just west of the house is of box in-filled with golden Lonicera nitida, Senecio greyii, cotton lavender and sage. A yew maze four feet high is in good shape. South of the house are two double avenues of fastigate hornbeam. Yew, privet and rhododendron border the long lake.
East of the lake are more scattered tree groups and a stream with a cascade. A new avenue of lime trees has been planted (1989) in this area. A rustic wooden bridge of the last century has been demolished.
To the west side of the lake are scattered lofty mature limes and sycamores. The imprint of the old early-17th century design is now being established with hornbeams (‘Cuarinilles') as part of the restoration programme. These were planted in 1979 (see photos and engraving in the County Planning Department's reference material). Also here are Roman tombstones in a rustic thatched canopy presented to General James Stanhope (1st Earl) by the municipality of Tarragona, (about 1708). Beyond this a deep curving ha-ha separates the grounds from the park beyond.
Mature cedars are west of the house with a group of fine mature 30 metre limes, underplanted with spring bulbs. The service buildings are clustered near the main house. The church (1262) in the village contains Stanhope Lennard and Cranmer memorials.
The following is from the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest. Gardens, pleasure grounds, and a park surrounding a 17th-century country house, first remodelled in the early 18th century, then reworked in the 1770s and added to during the first half of the 19th century.
Chevening is situated about 4 kilometres to the north-west of Sevenoaks, in a rural location on the west side of the estate village of Chevening. The roughly 176 hectare park is bounded to the south and west by Ovenden Road, to the east by a minor country road through Chevening village, and to the north by farmland. The House stands close to the centre of the eastern boundary, overlooking the Darent valley, on the south face of the North Downs. (1)


From the National Heritage List for England:
Gardens, pleasure grounds, and a park surrounding a C17 country house, first remodelled in the early C18, then reworked in the 1770s and added to during the first half of the C19.

HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT

The present Chevening House was built, reputedly to designs by Inigo Jones (1573-1652), in c 1620 for Richard Lennard, thirteenth Lord Dacre, on the site of an earlier building. Following the death of Thomas, fifteenth Lord Dacre and Earl of Sussex in 1717, the estate was sold to General James Stanhope (1673-1721), who was created Earl Stanhope in 1718. Stanhope added wings and two pavilions to the house and remodelled the gardens. An engraving by Badeslade, published in 1719 (Harris), shows a complex set of formal gardens south of the house. Nicholas Dubois, Thomas Archer, and Thomas Fort are all known to have worked on the house and each could have been involved in the gardens. Philip, second Earl Stanhope (1714-86) inherited the estate while still a minor. From 1763 to 1773 he lived in Switzerland and during this period Chevening was let to his cousin, William Pitt, first Earl Chatham. A letter exists from Lord Chatham to Lady Stanhope stating that he had contacted Lancelot Brown (1716-83), as she had instructed, but there is no evidence that Brown actually became involved. The second Earl's wife and his son, Charles, third Earl (1753-1816), as well as making alterations to the house, were responsible from the 1770s onwards for extensive changes in the grounds, softening the formal layout in a more fashionable form. A map of 1775 by Woodward shows the first stages of these alterations. The fourth Earl, Philip (1781-1855), succeeded in 1816 by which time the park had become neglected. A keen gardener and forester, he spent thirty-seven years planting at Chevening and was responsible for the basic layout of the present gardens and surrounding park. A codicil to his will requested that the garden, pleasure ground, park, woods, and plantations be left unchanged, and his wish was largely respected. Some renovation was carried out in the 1930s and in 1970 Geoffrey Jellicoe (1900-96) became involved in the work. An extensive restoration plan was begun in 1980. On the death of the seventh Earl in 1967, Chevening passed to a trust and it is now (2001) used as an official residence, the occupant being nominated by the Prime Minister.

DESCRIPTION

LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING Chevening is situated c 4km to the north-west of Sevenoaks, in a rural location on the west side of the estate village of Chevening. The c 176ha park is bounded to the south and west by Ovenden Road, to the east by a minor country road through Chevening village, and to the north by farmland. The House stands close to the centre of the eastern boundary, overlooking the Darent valley, on the south face of the North Downs.

ENTRANCES AND APPROACHES Chevening is approached either from the small estate village of Chevening to the east. Prior to 1980, access could also be gained from the drive from West Lodge on Ovenden Road to the west, or along the scenic drive from the north, Lord Chatham's Ride, laid out in the 1770s. The Ride leads from Knockholt Lodge on the north-east corner of the site, across the north park and south through the winding combe which was, in the C17, the site of 'The Warren'. It then enters through gates in the C18 wrought-iron screen (listed grade II) of the forecourt on the north side of the House. There are several other lodges: Ovenden Lodge and Sundridge Lodge on the south boundary, Sundridge Hill Lodge on the west boundary between West Lodge and Knockholt Lodge, and another in the north-east corner of the site.

PRINCIPAL BUILDING Chevening House (listed grade I) is a large, three-storey country house built in red brick with blue headers and rusticated stone quoins under a tile roof. The central section is dominated on the north-west, entrance front by four giant Ionic pilasters while from the garden front a flight of stone steps leads south-east to a central terrace. There are service and stable wings set back from the central main section of the house which was built in c 1620 on the site of an earlier building. Later additions, an attic storey and facing mathematical tiles, were removed in the 1970s.

GARDENS AND PLEASURE GROUNDS To the south-west of the house are Italianate parterres, centred on a Coade stone urn (listed grade II) introduced here by the fourth Earl in 1820. He also planted the maze below the west front, since replanted to the original design.

Beyond the gardens are lawns and pleasure grounds, the lawn to the south being bordered by a double row of yews. A ha-ha runs round the south and west sides of the area, separating the ornamental plantings from the south park. A high brick wall (listed grade II), part of the alterations of the 1770s, screens the pleasure grounds from the road on the east side. The dominant feature in the pleasure grounds south of the house is an informally shaped lake. This was an adaptation, carried out in 1776, of the existing formal canal which formed the central axis of the formal garden.

In the pleasure grounds are the remains of early C18 lime avenues and, to the east of the lake, some yews of the same date. On the west bank, near its south end, is the Chatham Vase (listed grade II). Made in 1780 by John Bacon and originally at Stowe, it was placed in the gardens in 1934 by Hester, Lady Chatham in memory of her husband. On the south-west bank of the lake is a feature formed from a collection of Roman tombstones, erected in 1851. A boathouse stands at the north-east tip of the water.

The pleasure grounds extend into formal rides cut through Home Wood to the south-west of the lake. The Wood, planted on an area of Glebe Land purchased by Lord Stanhope in 1718, formed an extension to Stanhope's wilderness.

PARK The parkland extends to the west of the House and to the south over rolling farmland. To the north it stretches past Park House, and is surrounded by hanging beech woods planted on the steep scarp in the early C19. A network of drives runs through the woods. Directly aligned on the House is a narrow cut through the trees, referred to as The Keyhole, which formed the extension of an avenue which ran across the land north from the public road. It is not shown as a feature in the 1775 survey by Woodward, so presumably was a later development. Two depressions mark the site of a pair of formal ponds which, in the C18, stood on the north side of the House.

The road to London originally passed down the east side of the park, close to the House, and the Pilgrim's Way ran west to east across the site a little to the north of the building. It was either Philip, second Earl or Charles, third Earl, who altered this layout in the late C18, constructing new roads past Sundridge and Chevening crossroads, and up Star Hill to increase the privacy of the estate. The land to the north of the old Pilgrim's Way was then imparked and in the 1770s Lord Chatham's Ride was laid out, running in a curved circuit from Chevening House north and then west, before turning east towards Knockholt Lodge. The land to the south was imparked in the 1820s.

KITCHEN GARDEN The c 4.5ha hexagonal walled kitchen garden (listed grade II*) stands c 250m to the north-west of the House, with a path linking it to the pleasure grounds. At its centre is a c 1775 well-head (listed grade II) and also within the walls is a bee-house (listed grade II*), originally dating from c 1850 but extensively restored. The walled garden was built in c 1775 under the supervision of Grizel, wife of the second Earl Stanhope, and is unusual in that the northern four sides have a second, outer wall. The several associated garden buildings include the red-brick and tile head gardener's cottage (c 1775, listed grade II) and the late C19 apple store (listed grade II).

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

<1> Parks and Gardens Data Services Limited (PGDS), 2005, Parks and Gardens UK (www.parksandgardens.org) (Website). SKE16061.

Sources and further reading

Related records