Hatch Court, Taunton, England

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

Extensive mid-18th-century pleasure grounds and a park with associated landscape structures.

LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING

Hatch Court is situated about 6 kilometres south-east of Taunton and about 0.5 kilometre north-east of the village of Hatch Beauchamp, to the east of the A358 road. The roughly 60 hectare site comprises some 30 hectares of gardens and pleasure grounds, and about 30 hectares of parkland. To the north the site adjoins agricultural land and to the west the boundary is formed by a minor road, Oldway Lane. To the south-west the boundary is formed by the late 19th-century cutting of the former Taunton to Chard branch railway which is today (2000) disused. The railway passes through a tunnel at the southern corner of the site, beneath the principal drive. The south boundary of the site is formed by a minor road, from which it is separated by hedges. A further minor road, Belmont Road, forms the eastern boundary of the site, separating it from adjacent agricultural land and orchards. Traces of shrubbery walks and viewing mounds, elements of a mid-18th-century pleasure-ground walk associated with Belmont, survive within this area (John Townson personal communication, 2000). To the north-east the site adjoins agricultural land and woodland on Crimson Hill. Hatch Court occupies a ridge of high ground from which the land drops away steeply to the north through Line Wood, and more gently to the east, west, and south. There are extensive views in all directions which are framed by planting in the pleasure grounds and park, with a series of designed views west, north, north-east, and south-east from the pleasure ground walks and the sites of various landscape structures to the north of the house. A reciprocal designed view extends north-west across the Vale of Taunton from the site of the Chapel and Bastion about 730 metres north-east of the house to the Gothic Alcove at Hestercombe (see description of this site elsewhere in the Register), about 8.5 kilometres distant. There are further views north-east from Belmont towards the column erected by Lancelot Brown for William Pitt at Burton Pynsent (see description of this site elsewhere in the Register) in 1765, and south and south-west from the house across the park and adjacent agricultural land.

REFERENCES Used by English Heritage

J Collinson, History and Antiquities of the County of Somersetshire I, (1791), p 44

J P Neale, Views of the Seats of Noblemen and Gentlemen III, (1820)

N Pevsner, The Buildings of England: South and West Somerset (1958), p 192

Country Life, 136 (22 October 1964), pp 1034-7; (29 October 1964), pp 1140-3; 161 (7 April 1977), pp 842-3

Bull Somerset Industrial Archaeology Society 56, (1991), pp 2-4

C J Webster, Hatch Court Excavations, (Somerset County Council 1998)

Hatch Court, guidebook, (Hatch Court no date)

Hatch Court, garden guide, (Hatch Court no date)

J Townson, The Woodland Walk, guide leaflet, (1999)

Maps

North Curry parish map, 1787 (DD/CC), (Somerset Record Office)

Deed plan, 1820 (DD/TN9), (Somerset Record Office)

Tithe map for Hatch Beauchamp parish, 1840 (DD/Rt128), (Somerset Record Office)

OS 6" to 1 mile: 1st edition published 1886; 2nd edition published 1904

Illustrations

T Prowse, two perspective views of Hatch Court, around 1755 (private collection)

T Bonnor, The Hermitage at Hatch Court... Seat of John Collins Esq, around 1785 (private collection)

T Bonner, Hatch Court from the south-west, around 1785 (in Collinson 1791)

Archival items

Edward Knight, Diary, 1876 (Kidderminster Public Library)

Viscount Palmerston, A Tour to the West of England, 1787 (Hampshire Record Office)

Sale particulars, 1836 (DD/TN10), (Somerset Record Office)

Sale particulars, 1900 (private collection)

Photographs, late 19th and early 20th century (private collection)

Kitchen garden seeds, plants, trees, 1904-05 (DO/TN8 S/1655), (Somerset Record Office)

E L Lutyens, Plans for entrance gates and lodges, Hatch Court, 1926 (private collection)

J Townson, Notes of the Landscape Garden at Hatch taken from a number of sources, 1998 (Copy on EH file)

Personal communication from John Townson Esq, 2000
 

Description written: October 2000

Amended: October 2000, March 2001

Edited: May 2004