Milton Lodge and the Combe

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):

Location, Area, Boundaries, Landform and Setting

Milton Lodge and The Combe are situated on the northern edge of the city of Wells, c 0.75km north-north-west of Wells Cathedral. Milton Lodge comprises c 29ha and is bounded to the north-east and east by Old Bristol Road, and Ash Lane to the south. To the west and north the site adjoins agricultural land, while to the north-west it is bounded by Reservoir Road. Milton Lodge is set on the south-facing slope of the Mendip Hills and enjoys far-reaching southerly views across Wells and the Cathedral, and beyond across the Vale of Avalon towards Glastonbury Tor. Separated from Milton Lodge by Old Bristol Road, The Combe comprises c 4ha. Enclosed by stone walls, The Combe is bounded to the east by Walcombe Lane and to the west by Old Bristol Road. To the north the site is bounded by a minor road leading east from Old Bristol Road to the hamlet of Walcombe, while to the south-east it is bounded by the A39 Bristol Road. To the north-west it adjoins agricultural land. The Combe is a long, narrow valley which extends north from the junction of Ash Lane, New Street and College Road, and curves slightly east towards Walcombe. Although physically and visually separate, The Combe forms part of the grounds associated with Milton Lodge.

Entrances and Approaches

Milton Lodge is approached from Old Bristol Road to the north and east. The north entrance is situated c 100m west of the junction of Old Bristol Road and New Cut, and is marked by an early C19 lodge. From the entrance a drive leads c 120m south-west parallel to the north-west boundary of the site, before joining the east drive and turning west for c 80m to approach the carriage court to the east of the house, and the stables at a slightly lower level to the south. The east entrance is situated c 130m south-south-east of the junction of Old Bristol Road and New Cut, and is marked by a stone lodge dated 1865. A drive sweeps west and north-west for c 200m across the park before entering the pleasure grounds and turning west to join the north drive. The north and east drives appear to be shown on the 1" OS map (1811), but curiously does not appear on Bennett of Bruton's plan of 1829 (Bennett, 1829).

The Combe is approached from Old Bristol Road at a point almost opposite the east lodge of Milton Lodge. A small gate set in the stone boundary wall provides access to the pleasure grounds in The Combe.

Principal Building

Milton Lodge stands on an artificially levelled terrace immediately below the north-west boundary of the site. The steep slope above the house is planted with a beech wood which forms a backdrop to the building. The house comprises two storeys and is constructed in stone under pitched slate roofs. The core of the house was constructed by Aaron Foster in 1790, and appears originally to have been known as 'The Folly' (Bennett, 1829). This building was considerably extended for Charles Tudway in the early C20 when it became the family's principal residence.

Gardens and Pleasure Grounds

A stone flagged walk extends below the south façade of the house, which is planted with a variety of climbing plants. At the south-west corner of the house this flagged walk continues as a grass walk which forms the upper of the four early-C20 formal terraces. The walk, which separates the terraces from the woodland on the south-facing slope above the house, is supported by a high brick wall to the north of the Central Terrace. Stone steps descend from the upper terrace to the central terrace, which is laid out with a gently sloping lawn which is surrounded on each side by mixed borders.

To the south-east of this terrace, and immediately south of the stables, a small gravelled terrace surrounds a rectangular, stone-edged lily tank; terrace affords views across the lower terrace towards Glastonbury Tor. At the eastern end of the retaining wall of the Central Terrace a flight of steps descends to the Sundial Terrace. The Sundial Terrace is laid out with a border of roses beneath the retaining wall to the north, a central grass walk extending from east to west, and a yew hedge to the south. A stone baluster sundial stands towards the eastern end of the terrace below the steps descending from the Central Terrace, while at the western end of the terrace further stone steps descend to the Pool Terrace.

The steps adjoin a single-storey stone pavilion. Square on plan under a pyramidal roof, the pavilion was constructed in 1909 as part of the formal garden scheme designed by Capt. Partridge. The Pool Terrace comprises an approximately rectangular lawn with a mid-C20 swimming pool towards its western end. To the north, below the retaining wall and yew hedge of the Sundial Terrace is a mixed border, while to the south the terrace is enclosed by a high yew hedge which marks the lower extremity of the formal gardens. The eastern end of the Pool terrace is dominated by a mature specimen oak said to have been planted in the late C18 (guidebook).

To the south and west of the garden terraces are less formal areas of lawn planted with specimen trees. The area to the west of the terraces was developed as an arboretum during the second half of the C20. The Combe comprises an area of informal pleasure grounds. The floor of the lower, southern, end of the valley is laid to lawn, while the sides are planted with a mixture of native and exotic specimen trees. A small stream flows through the lower section of the valley, parallel to its eastern side. Walks extend along each side of the valley, leading north for c 500m to reach the Combe House (listed Grade II) which stands at the northern end of the walled enclosure. This early-C19 thatched, stone, gothic-style structure forms the focal point of the pleasure ground, and was originally constructed as a dairy; it was subsequently used as a family museum and later as a mission chapel by students at Wells Theological College (Tudway-Quilter, 1990). The northern half of The Combe is more densely wooded than the southern half, with an enclosure to the north-west marking the site of an old orchard. The Combe, which was originally laid out as pleasure grounds in the early C19 by Clement Tudway (d 1815) and his nephew John Paine Tudway (d 1835) became overgrown during the first half of the C20, and was extensively restored and re-planted by the present owner's father after he inherited the estate in 1962. Further tree planting was undertaken following storm damage in 1990.

Park

The park associated with Milton Lodge lies on the south and south-east facing slopes below the house. Much of the land between the house and Ash Lane on the southern boundary of the site has never been imparked and remains meadow ornamented with scattered specimen trees. Within the park are the remains of mediaeval lynchets and other traces of cultivation reflecting earlier phases of use, together with three stock-watering ponds.

Bennett's plan of 1829 suggests that the area which now forms the park remained in agricultural use with field boundaries extending up to Old Bristol Road (Bennett, 1829). The north-east area of the park, which is crossed by the east drive, is likely to have been laid out when the drive was constructed in the early C19; the remainder of the park had assumed its present form by c 1900 (OS, 1903).

Reasons for Designation

Milton Lodge and The Combe are included on the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

• Representative example: it is a good and mostly intact example of a formal Edwardian terraced garden laid out within earlier parkland and with a detached, walled early-C19 pleasure ground;
• Documentation and influence: the site is well documented and as evident from contemporary articles the qualities of its design and planting scheme were well respected.

Date first registered: 20 September 1990

Edited: October 2021