Ditton Park, Slough, England

The following is from the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest.  

HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT

Sir John Moleyns, treasurer to King Edward III, inherited the manor of Ditton in about 1330. The following year he was granted permission to embattle his house and, in 1335, was given licence to impark about 17 hectares. In the mid 15th century, the estate reverted to the Crown, Princess Mary, later Queen Mary I, spending part of her early life at Ditton (1517-1521), Cardinal Wolsey residing there in the late 1520s, and it being one of the emoluments granted to Anne Boleyn.

In 1607, when surveyed by John Norden, the park occupied about 90 hectares, had little timber, and was stocked with deer. On his map, the house is shown as being moated with a formal garden laid out to the south. In 1615, the estate was granted to Sir Ralph Winwood, then Secretary of State, who rebuilt the mansion using the existing site. Sir Ralph died in 1617 and work presumably continued under his wife Elizabeth, and son Richard (d 1688). The park was enlarged at this time and by 1630 occupied about 100 hectares. The estate passed to the nephew of Sir Ralph, Ralph, Earl Montagu of Boughton, created Duke of Montagu in 1705 (d 1709), then to his son, John, whose wife was Lady Mary Churchill, daughter of John Churchill, first Duke of Marlborough.

Between 1762 and 1774, Lancelot Brown (1716-1783) was involved at Ditton, at a cost of some £3450, using Cornelius Dickinson as foreman and working for `Lord Vist. Montague', the estate then being in the joint ownership of Sir Edward Hussey Montagu, created Lord, and later Earl, Beaulieu, and George, Duke of Marlborough, fourth Earl of Cardigan. Brown had previously (1763) been employed by the fourth Duke of Marlborough at nearby Langley Park, prior to his involvement at Blenheim.

Ditton was inherited by George's daughter, Lady Elizabeth Montagu, who married Henry Scott, Duke of Buccleugh (d 1812). In 1812, the house was almost completely destroyed by fire, and the following year a new house was started to the designs of William Atkinson. It was completed 1817. Ditton Park remained in the Montagu family until 1917 when it was sold by Baron Montagu of Beaulieu to the Admiralty. In 1993 the Admiralty left the place, which in 1999 was in the process of becoming a company headquarters.