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Amington Hall

Introduction

The grounds of Amington Hall include pleasure grounds and parkland, a walled kitchen garden and the remains of a yew maze in the woods. The house has been subdivided into flats.

Terrain

Gentle slope

Today, the area is very much a working farm, centred around Amington Old Hall. In general, the north of the estate is made up of gently sloping fields of red soil, while the south is marked by a wide floodplain.

There are a number of small plantations of mixed woodland, and several old parkland trees. The farmyard has retained few of its boundary hedges, though the original field boundaries are still evident across much of the estate.

The parkland covers just over 106 hectares, though much of it is under cultivation or woodland. Seventeen hectares are of grazing land, and there are parkland trees between Amington Hall, Amington Old Hall, and Ling Cottage (to the west). There is also a two-hectare decoy, and remains of a yew maze have been identified in woodland.

The modern farm is centred close to Amington Old Hall, though this building is separated from the developments of the modern farmyard (including large brick and steel-framed farm buildings) by private front and back gardens. There is a large pond to the north-east of the Old Hall, which is the remnant of a system of medieval fishponds. The walled kitchen garden behind Amington Hall remains, but is now in poor repair.

History

The manor of Amington has some antiquity, with a deserted medieval village known from cropmarks, and records identifying a 'Hugh, son of Richard of Hatton' as lord of the manor in the early 12th century. It was part of the royal demesne in 1246, but subesquently passed to the Earl of Warwick, the De Clinton family, and ultimately the Repington family. In a settlement of 1422, the Repingtons took one third of the manor, the entire estate passing to them in 1538. The Repington family held these lands until the early 20th century.

The landscape seen today dates back to the 16th century, and the construction of Amington Old Hall. This was originally a large timber-framed building. It underwent a rebuild in the 18th century, and today only the kitchen remains from the 16th-century house. Upon the death of Charles Edward Repington in 1837, the manor passed to his cousin, Edward Henry a Court.

By the year 1810 a new building, Amington Hall had been constructed to the north-west of Amington Old Hall. The new building now served as the Repington's primary residence. Around this time a number of changes were made to the grounds, including the addition of formal parkland, two fox coverts and a duck decoy.

Many of the features visible today are identifiable on the 1884 Ordnance Survey map. On the OS Map, a number of footpaths criss-crossed the estate. A courtyard of buildings was laid out in front of Amington Old Hall (now converted into modern residential dwellings), the River Anker ran to the south, and to the east there was an orchard and a C-shaped arrangement of medieval fishponds.

There were several outbuildings to the north of Amington Hall, and a large walled garden behind it. This garden originally incorporated a glasshouse, alongside a shed, and trees and paths. Residential buildings existed at Ling Cottage (to the west of Amington Hall) and Amington Hall Lodge (on the Ashby Rd). These are still present today. There are also two lodge cottages, a decoy barn, and a cattle barn to the east of the estate.

The manor passed to Mrs Sydney Fisher in 1925. By the early 1930s (according to the 1931-35 Land use Map) the estate was mainly under grass, through there was rough pasture on the riverbanks, and a large area of arable land was preserved to the east.

Period

  • Post Medieval (1540 to 1901)
  • Tudor (1485-1603)
Associated People
Features & Designations

Designations

  • Conservation Area

  • Reference: SW/SH8898

  • The National Heritage List for England: Listed Building

  • Grade: II*

Features

  • Fishpond
  • Description: There is a large pond to the north-east of the Old Hall, which is the remnant of a system of medieval fishponds.
  • Kitchen Garden
  • Description: The walled kitchen garden behind Amington Hall remains, but is now in poor repair. This is the only remnant from the 16th-century house.
  • Earliest Date:
  • Latest Date:
  • River
  • Description: River Anker.
  • Garden Building
  • Description: There are also two lodge cottages, a decoy barn, and a cattle barn to the east of the estate.
  • Hall (featured building)
  • Description: By the year 1810 a new building, Amington Hall had been constructed to the north-west of Amington Old Hall.
  • Latest Date:
  • Maze
  • Description: The remains of a yew maze have been identified in woodland.
Key Information

Type

Estate

Purpose

Agriculture And Subsistence

Principal Building

Domestic / Residential

Period

Post Medieval (1540 to 1901)

Survival

Part: standing remains

Hectares

106

References

References

Contributors

  • Staffordshire Gardens and Parks Trust