Beaudesert Park School (also known as Highlands)

Entrances

At the main entrance there is a cattle grid set between a pair of large ornamental iron gates hung from stone pillars. There is a single storey stone built lodge in the Gothic style is at the head of a level approach to the 1860's house site. This original approach is flanked by Wellingtonias on each side in grassed banks that also included artistically designed borders [in 1911], flowering trees and shrubs.

The 1860's house site is separated from the approach by a quatrefoil pierced stone wall with piers topped by tazzas. It is laid out as grassed terraces with gravel paths.

As the 1873 house was built further up the site. The approach turns back on itself and climbs to a higher terrace where there are extensive unsurfaced areas for car parking on the right. Here is the vehicular exit from the school through the surrounding wall onto the road that is around Minchinhampton Common.

The upper lawn on the left at the eastern end of the house is used as a play area for some of the younger children. Its eastern edge is fringed by a mixed conifer shelter belt.

The school have built a stone wing on the original Highlands hence turning the entrance into a courtyard though the principal doorway is still in the half-timbered house.

Rose Terrace

At the northern end of the original Highlands site is a flight of steps between Gothic style piers with complex finials supported by ramped ashlar buttresses with blind pointed arch tracery. It leads up to a gravel path on the western side of a square rose terrace that is on the same level as the 1873's Highlands. The rose terrace consists of rose beds cut in the grass around a stone sundial.

At the end of the gravel path is an octogonal stair tower [described as an ivy covered watch tower in 1911 sales particulars] now topped by a weather vane but there had been a flag pole. A newel stair leads down to a terrace where there used to be 3 garden buildings in the bank of the rose terrace in 1885.

There are vestiges of most southerly as the support for the roots of a tree though its function cannot be ascertained. However the central feature is a grotto with 3 doorways built under the rose garden. The slightly domed ceiling is made of rough cotswold limestone laid circularly around an upturned bowl. In March 2009 it was being conserved.

Along the southern edge of the rose terrace is a hedge and flowering trees to provide wind protection and privacy as it is above the original Highlands site. Whilst on the western side behind the gravel path is an ashlar topped stone wall.

Besides the stair tower is a gateway which led to the path through the northern shelter belt. Originally this crossed a footpath to Pinsfarthing but the northern side had been sold off by 1911 and the southern part of the path is now blocked by dumped garden cuttings.

Walled Kitchen Garden

The 1911 sale particulars lists the following features:

• 90 feet x 22 feet Vinery and Peach House
• Cucumber House
• Heated Melon House
• Lean-to 35 feet x 13 feet Carnation House
• Lean-to 35 feet x 13 feet Peach House
• 2 Lean-to Orchid Houses
• 2 Lean-to Ferneries
• 22 Pits
• Pear and Apricot trees protected by a glazed coping along a a long brick wall

Apart from the long brick wall, now without its glazed coping, these have all been demolished and hard tennis courts constructed.

Grounds

The school has redefined the paths through the shelter belt as estate cottages have been sold off and direct access to Pinsfarthing is not now required. Below the shelter belt is an area of glades caused by ancient landslips with trees on the up lifted areas downslope . It is on the spring line.

New direct paths to the tennis courts have been constructed. However an example of the earlier paths with gutters in earthenware and steps with grilles across the path to provide drainage still exists. On the lower section it is bordered by a iron chain suspended from a row of iron poles to support trailing roses.

There are few level areas for sports indeed there is barely sufficient for one rounders pitch. Indeed the school used to play on Minchinhampton Common until they bought some fields about 1 km away.