Bourne Hill House (also known as Wyndham House)

The following is from the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest. For the most up-to-date Register entry, please visit The National Heritage List for England (NHLE):

An 18th-century town garden improved by Richard Woods in the early 1770s, laid out on the site of an early 18th-century formal garden associated with St Edmund's College, first founded in the 13th century, incorporating the earthwork remains of Salisbury's former city ramparts as a garden feature.

Location, Area, Boundaries, Landform and Setting

The site, covering an area of circa 2.06 ha, is situated in the centre of Salisbury, and is bounded by C18 brick walls (with later repairs), except to its north where it is lined by a C20 park fence. Its landform has dramatic changes in levels determined by the earthwork remains of the City's medieval ramparts (a Scheduled Monument) which are situated within the site. Its setting is characterised to the north by a playing field with further medieval earthwork remains, and a swimming pool building (built in 1976, now closed and vacant). To its west lies St Edmund's Church (listed Grade II*) and churchyard, to its south lies Green Croft, a triangular shaped public green with late C20 playground equipment. Green Croft has at least since the early C18 (see Naish's Map of Salisbury, 1716) and was used by Salisbury cloth-makers to lay out their finished cloths to be stretched and dried. To its east the site is bounded by late C19 terraced housing.

Entrances and Approaches

The main entrance to the site lies along Bourne Hill, via a square shaped forecourt south of the House enclosed by C18 walls (listed Grade II). An C18 classical style arched gateway in its south-west corner (listed Grade II) carries a memorial tablet of 1927 inscribed as follows: 'Within these grounds stood the College of St Edmund 1268-1546. This house was built in the early C18 by the Wyndham family. The house and grounds were purchased by the Corporation of the City of New Sarum in 1927 to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the granting of the 1st charter to the City and are thus preserved for the benefit and use of the Citizens'. The site can also be entered (on foot) further east along Bourne Hill, and via a tarmac drive entering the site from the north, leading along the east side of the House.

Principal Building

Bourne Hill House (listed Grade II*), is the main focal point for the garden and occupies the south-west corner of the site. The present house, built in red brick on a stone plinth, was built in circa 1670, and was altered in the early C18. Its south front has seven bays and decorative classical style architectural detailing. Its east garden front, altered in 1788 to proposals by Samuel Pepys Cockerell, has two full height canted bays, with windows overlooking the garden, one of which was probably added following Richard Woods proposal as indicated on his plan of circa 1778 (it is not shown on any of Cockerell's plans). This elevation was formerly extended to the north by a late C19 two-storey wing built in red brick, added when the House became a school once again, and recently demolished (2007).

Gardens and Pleasure Grounds

The garden is laid out to the east of the House where a large lawn is bounded to the north and south by the earthwork remains of the former city ramparts, with the land to its east gently rising. The lawn stretches out further along the east side of the northern rampart. The top of the rampart offers extensive views back over the house, across the City and the cathedral and over the countryside beyond to the east, and probably contains the site of a former seat and a summer house, as indicated on Woods late C18 plan.

In the north slope of the northern rampart are the remains of a former ice house (late C18). A gravelled footpath with large flint edges, originating from the late C18, can be followed for circa 25m leading around the oval lawn. On a higher level, another path, covered in tarmac, leads around the garden closely following the line of its boundary. This path passes a series of features including a sundial (now brought into storage for safety) given to Mr Wadham Wyndham in 1722 by the Earl of Pembroke standing circa 10m east of the House. Formerly the sundial stood in the walled garden to the north of the house, and was placed in its current position in 1926. Also recently brought into storage are two cast iron C19 urns which flanked the canted bays on the east front of the house, introduced in 1927 as a gift from Ushers Breweries to the City of Salisbury.

In the far south-east corner of the garden the path leads under a C15 porch or pavilion taken from Salisbury Cathedral and further embellished and re-erected in the garden by Henry Penruddocke Wyndham in 1791. In the north-east corner of the garden the path leads past a stone memorial urn dated 1774 with an inscription commemorating the discovery of Anglo Saxon remains on the site. From here the path turns west and links up with a drive that runs from the northern boundary of the site along the east front of the House and its C19 extension.

The planting of the garden is characterised by a belt of trees along its outer boundary, including some mature yews, and a mature Cedar of Lebanon on the lawn immediately east of the house (the latter is shown on a view of 1871).

Park

The park, first laid out in the later C18 to the north and east of the garden, was sold off and built over in the late-C19. The playing field to the north of the site (not included in the Register entry) is the only remaining part.

Kitchen Garden

The rectangular walled garden north of the House originates from the early-C18 or possibly earlier. Its circa 2m high walls are built of brick and flint with stone coping and date from the C18 and C19. The western wall contains recesses for bee boles. The southern part of the walled garden is dominated by the late-C19 north-wing of the House and by a (temporary) T-shaped late C20 pre-fabricated office building. The northern part has a central pond (C20) with brick lean-to (potting) sheds along its far north wall. In 1996 this garden was named the Secret Garden, dedicated to those Salisbury District Councillors who died whilst in office. The historic development of the walled garden is well recorded: it is first shown on Naish's map of Salisbury of 1716, and subsequently on Wood's proposal plan of the early 1770s. Detailed plans are also shown on Kingdon and Shearn's surveys of 1854 and on the first edition Ordnance Survey maps of 1881.

Maps

• Richard Woods, A Design for the improvements of the Garden of Pen: Wyndham Esqr. Of Salisbury, Wiltshire, c1771/2
• John Speed, Plan of Salisbury, c1600
• William Naish, Map of Salisbury, 1716
• Andrew's and Dury, Map of Wiltshire, 1773
• James Easton, Plan of Salisbury, 1820
• George Oakley Lucas, Plan of Salisbury, 1833
• Kingdon and Shearn, two plans as part of the Salisbury Sewerage surveys, 1854
• OS 25" to 1 mile:
• 1st edition 1881
• 2nd edition 1901
• 3rd edition 1925
• 4th edition 1936

Illustrations

• View of the south front and enclosed forecourt of St Edmund's College, Salisbury, 1670
• View of the south front and enclosed fore court of St Edmund's College, Salisbury, 1690
• View of the east front and formal gardens of St Edmund's College, 1734
• View of Wyndham House through the porch in the garden, undated
• View of "The College" Mansion, Salisbury, Sales Particulars 1871