Malshanger Park

Malshanger House lies 5 miles west of Basingstoke, standing in a well-wooded park to the west of the village of Church Oakley, and commanding extensive views over the surrounding countryside. It is approached from the west along Hook Lane that connects the mansion with Summerdown Lane and Sheardown Farm - once part of the wider estate. A fine brick and flint gate lodge built in 1859 marks the entrance to a long private driveway (public right of way) running north along the eastern boundary of Home Farm. The main access to the house is from the west.

The Georgian grounds (illustrated in the tithe map and later in the 1872 OS 6" map) included stables and outbuildings built around a courtyard guarded by the Tudor tower at the north west entrance, and well appointed kitchen gardens beyond the south west facing stable walls. Lean-to glasshouses were ranged along the southern boundary (modernised by the end of the 1870s). The pleasure gardens lie to the south west of the mansion and included a formal garden with circular walk leading to a focal point with views across the park to the south east, and back into the potager through the kitchen-garden wall. Long walks and carriage drives through shrubberies and down to the lodge gate are indicated. Tree belts are shown in the tithe map along with specimen deciduous and coniferous trees planted in designed clumps and informal groups in the park. The estates of Malshanger, Manydown and Tangier have common boundaries and part of Tangier park lies within the Church Oakley parish. The suggestion that an avenue of Lime trees was planted between the Tangier estate and Malshanger is indicated in the tithe map - a line of specimen trees is shown along the boundary between Tangier Park and Manydown Park into Witch Hazel Copse. More recent maps - 1872, 1896 confirm this, and recent aerial photographs suggest that many of the trees still survive. No tree survey was possible during this assessment.

During the latter half of the 19th century, the property was owned by Wyndham Spence Portal, whose family was noted for the Portals Ltd banknote manufacturing company in Laverstoke. He was created Baron Portal of Malshanger in 1901, and was Chairman of the London and South-West Railway Company, a local benefactor and very active in the affairs of the county. On his death in 1905 his son William sold the property to Mr. Godfrey Walter. The estate was on the market in 1927 and again in 1933 when it was broken up and the farms sold in separate lots, with Malshanger House sold to Mr Jeremiah Colman. It was after this time that a new Home Farm was built to the south of the mansion, as the estate farms were sold off.

Today the elaborate gardens to the southwest have largely disappeared, but the kitchen gardens with three large glasshouses remain. Vestiges of the 19th century tree planting remain within the park, and new infill plantations at Wych Hazel copse have been planted. The park is reduced to the south where land has been taken into production on either side of the south drive to the east of Home Farm. Originally donated in 1983 by the Coleman family for the use of Holy Trinity Brompton Church (HTB) in London, the house and estate is now run by a religious trust and is used for conferences and retreats and seminars by members of this very active Christian community. Recent planning approvals have been granted for the modification of the house to accommodate this extensive occupation.

Significance:

The park retains the elements of an 19th century landscape - open parkland, small wilderness, and mature trees, with the main phase of development laid out between 1810 and 1870. It forms the setting of this fine Georgian mansion, as much of parkland landscape survives although the extent of parkland is reduced, and no recent replacement of mature parkland trees has been carried out.

Landscape Planning Status:

AONB Yes

SSSI No

SINC Yes

SMR Record No: 31327 Remains of polygonal brick tower

TPO etc No

Research: EM Consultants for Basingstoke & Deane: November 2009

Detailed description contributed by Hampshire Gardens Trust 13/04/2015