Introduction
The formal gardens at Oddington House are mainly laid to lawn, with geometrically planted topiary. The gardens also include some herbaceous borders and a variety of shrubs. There are uninterrupted views over the parkland down to the Evenlode Valley.
Sale particulars dating from 1848 described a terrace-like lawn and well manicured pleasure grounds with a variety of walks. There was also a walled kitchen garden.
A Country Life magazine dating back to 1940 described the view down to the lake and eastward across the valley towards Daylesford as one of richly timbered parkland. The article claimed that Lady Reade had continued her husband's landscaping of the park and that the tree plantings had reached their maturity. It also stated that the house and garden had both been developed in the early 19th century, with a Victorian parterre laid out on the south side of the house when it ceased to be the garden front. Mention is also made of a rose garden flanked by beds of lavender, a grass walk with borders and a classical statue at the end of it, and a broad border lining the high wall that separates the house from the rectory.
- History
The site was originally owned by Thomas Chamberlayne, who presumably built his house on the site of the present building but also incorporated parts of a much older building dating from around 1600. The estate was sold about 1785 to Sir John Reade of Shipton, who died in 1789, but who is credited with carrying out improvements to the grounds. His widow subsequently remodelled the house and lived there for 58 years, adding a Regency wing about 1810. This wing was pulled down about 1870 in order to make the house a more manageable size, but the interior of the surviving portion is a delightful example of Regency decoration.
Period
18th Century (1701 to 1800)
- Features & Designations
Features
- Lake
- Earliest Date:
- Latest Date:
- Stable Block
- Topiary
- Ha-ha
- House (featured building)
- Description: The house dates from the 17th and 18th centuries and has a 19th-century facade.
- Earliest Date:
- Summerhouse
- Earliest Date:
- Latest Date:
- Key Information
Type
Garden
Purpose
Ornamental
Principal Building
Domestic / Residential
Period
18th Century (1701 to 1800)
Survival
Extant
Open to the public
Yes
Civil Parish
Oddington
- References
References
- Kingsley. N., {The Country Houses of Gloucestershire, Volume 2, 1660-1830} (Cirencester: Phillimore, 1992), pp. 193-4 The Country Houses of Gloucestershire, Vol. II 1660-1830
- Verey, D., {The Buildings of England: Gloucestershire 1, The Cotswolds} (London: Penguin, 1970), p. 532 The Buildings of England: Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds
- Elrington, C.R. {Victoria County History: Gloucester, Volume 6} ([n.p.]: Oxford University Press, 1965), p. 89 Victoria County History: Gloucester, Volume 6
Contributors
Gloucestershire Gardens & Landscape Trust
Mary Blumer