Encombe, Purbeck, England

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

An 18th century park with an extensive circuit of carriage rides, together with 18th century pleasure grounds, laid out with the advice of William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, and later elements designed by George Repton.

DESCRIPTION

LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING

Encombe is situated about 1 kilometre south west of Kingston and about 1.3 kilometres north of the coast at Freshwater Steps. The site, which occupies about 368 hectares, is adjoined to the north, east, and west by agricultural land, while to the south the boundary is formed by the coastal cliffs. The site is undulating, with high ground to the north dropping away southwards to the sea. The park comprises a bowl with ridges of high ground encircling it to the north and north west at Swyre Head, and to the east. A stream flows through a valley which extends south from the House to the coast, while a cone shaped hill, the Golden Bowl, rises to the south west of the House. The site also includes the rocky headland at Egmont Point, from which there are views of Chapman's Pool, a cove about 1.5 kilometres south east of the House.

There are extensive views from the higher ground within the site across the park and towards the sea, while a southerly view from the House, across the lake to the sea, provides the illusion that the lake and sea merge. To the north east the site adjoins the estate village of Kingston, while to the west, Encombe is contiguous with the Smedmore estate which had been the subject of landscape improvement by its owner, George Clavell, in the mid 18th century; both contribute to the setting of the site.

REFERENCES used by English Heritage

J P Neale, Views,2 (iv) (1828)

J Hutchins, History of Dorset (3rd edn 1861), pp 515-522

A Oswald, Country Houses of Dorset (2nd edn 1959), pp 155-156

Country Life 133, (24 January 1963), pp 164-167; (31 January 1963), pp 214-217 Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset II, part 1(1970), pp 78-81

N Pevsner and J Newman, The Buildings of England: Dorset (1972), pp 200-201

Garden History 24, no 1 (1996), pp 126-136

T Mowl, Historic Gardens of Dorset (2003), pp 81-82

The House Historians, A Historical Report of the South Front at Encombe Dorset (nd)

The House Historians, A Historical Report on the Carriage Drives at Encombe (nd)

Maps

I Taylor, Map of Dorset, 1765

Plan of Encombe, c 1806 (D/SEN 3/10/9), (Dorset Record Office)

J Martin, Tithe map for Corfe Castle parish, 1834 (PE/COC/SD 1, 2), (Dorset Record Office)

OS 6" to 1 mile: 1 st edition surveyed 1886, published 1891

2nd edition revised 1900, published 1902

1929 edition

OS 25" to 1 mile: 2nd edition revised 1900, published 1901

Illustrations

Encombe in Dorsetshire a Seat of John Pitt Esq, engraved view from the south (published in Hutchins 1861)

J P Neale, Encombe House, engraved view from the south west (published in Neale 1828)

Early C19 drawings of Encombe (private collection)

Archival items

The Scott family archive, including plans and items acquired from Pitt family on purchase of Encombe, is held at the Dorset Record Office (D/SEN).

J Pouncey, mid C19 photographs of Encombe (private collection)

Description written: November 2004

Amended: December 2004

Edited: May 2005