Hatch Park, Ashford, England

The boundaries of Hatch Park became defined over 400 years ago when a deer park was established near an older Tudor house close to the London-Folkestone road, the owners being the Knatchbulls whose descendants still own part of the estate. The plentiful woodlands at that time are considered to be an extension of the ancient Forest of the Weald. Ancient remnants still survive today.

In 1762 Sir Wyndham Knatchbull demolished the old house and constructed a large new mansion to designs by Robert Adam, choosing a site to the south of the deer park. Most of the two million bricks were fired in two kilns on the estate and much of the timber came from the estate woodlands. The park must have been landscaped in the prevailing taste of the time, but no record exists of any distinguished consultant being commissioned to do this. Extensive tree planting was carried out and two lakes constructed, which still exist today. Separate dams hold back the waters of Boat Pond and Heron Pond.

The October 1987 storm was very destructive to the deer park in particular, with 30% of many fine mature trees, especially beeches, lost or damaged. Mature beeches along the A20 highway were also damaged or felled. Estate fences have also been destroyed, allowing the escape of many deer.

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

HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT

The manor of Mersham was given to the See of Canterbury in 1051, and was purchased, along with the deer park, by Richard Knatchbull in 1485. Sir Wyndham Knatchbull Wyndham, fifth baronet, took over the estate in 1736. On his death in 1749, his son Sir Wyndham, sixth baronet, then age twelve, inherited the estate. In the early 1760s on his return from a Grand Tour of Italy, the sixth baronet called in Robert Adam to design a new house, on a new site, on the ridge a little to the south-west of the earlier building. Wyndham died in 1763, before his house had been completed and the property passed to his uncle, Sir Edward Knatchbull (died 1789), who completed the work. The estate then passed to the seventh baronet's son, Sir Edward (died 1819) who in 1780 married Mary, daughter and co-heir of William Western Hugessen and sister-in-law of Sir Joseph Banks. Their son, the Rt Hon Sir Edward (1781-1849) inherited the estate and carried out some alterations to the house in 1827. Further alterations were made under Sir Wyndham Knatchbull, twelfth baronet (died 1917). On the death of Sir Wyndham, the estates and title reverted to Cecil Marcus Knatchbull-Hugessen, fourth Baron Brabourne and thirteenth baronet. His son, the fifth Baron Brabourne and fourteenth baronet, was Governor of Bombay from 1933 to 1937, Governor of Bengal from 1937 to 1939, and Viceroy and acting Governor-General of India in 1938. Having succeeded his father in 1939, the sixth Baron Brabourne and fifteenth baronet was killed in the war in 1943 at which time the estate and titles passed to his brother. The estate remains in private ownership with the mansion currently (2000) leased to the Caldecott Community, and the parkland subject to a Deed of Covenant between the current owner and the National Trust.