Oakly Park, (also known as Oakley Park), Bromfield, Shropshire, England

The first reference to the park at Oakly is in the late 15th or early 16th century, when it was called a 'new park.' Both Saxton and Speed show a park at Oakly, and in 1617 it is recorded that the park kept more sheep and cattle than deer.

The park reputedly originally comprised 900 acres, and while there is no record for its reduction to less than half that size, there is evidence for alteration between 1752 and the late 19th century. The boundaries of the park shrunk during this period, mainly in its northern reaches. On Rocque's 1752 map of Shropshire, the north-west extent of the park lies beyond the River Teme, and its north-east is defined by the Onny River. But in 1808, Baugh's map of the county indicates a reduction in both of these northern areas.

There were considerable changes in the late 18th century at Oakly, but who was mainly responsible for them is uncertain. Capability Brown was called in by Lord Clive in August 1772, and while his proposals were acceptable, Clive's death in 1774 may have prevented their execution. William Emes did work at Oakly in 1774, but the nature and extent of his involvement is unclear.

The reductions in the park's size that took place in the 18th century were apprently remedied by the second decade of the 19th century. At this time it is probable that the estate in the north-west spread well beyond the Teme and, in the north-east, beyond the Onny towards and up to the main Bromfield-Ludlow road. By the late 19th century the boundary in the north-west had moved again, however, and lay to the east of the Teme.

In the late 19th century the park had two lodges: in the north-east was a neo-Classical lodge of 1826-7, designed by C.R. Cockerell. The second lodge was sited in the south-east, on what was the lower Ludlow-Bromfield Road. It would appear that the main tree-lined avenue through the park is aligned north-west to south-east along this former road.

The park featured many mature oaks, some of considerable age and size, which were in 1891 called 'Druid Oaks' and may have given the park its name. It also had various features including several pheasantries, a maze, and the 'cricket pool.' There was also a tree-lined ride called 'The Duchess Walk,' which ran from the wooded area in the south-west to the pheasantry in the south-east. Cockerell created formal gardens at Oakly to accompany his alterations to the house, adding a conservatory and an adjacent parterre garden with a central fountain. Both date to 1824. The gardens were fully complete by 1838, when they were described as having a small rosarium, an artificial rocky glen, a shell grotto, and walks along the river bank. The kitchen gardens lay east of and separate from the house. The garden survived in the 1990s, but the conservatory is lost.

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

LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING

Oakly Park lies about 3 kilometres north-west of Ludlow, south of the village of Bromfield on the main A49 Ludlow to Shrewsbury road. The park lies on ground rising from the River Teme, which forms its northern boundary. South of the park the ground continues to rise, to the wooded slopes of Lower Whitcliffe and Bringewood about 2 kilometres to the south which form the main feature of the view south across the parkland. The registered area is about 160 hectares.

REFERENCES Used by English Heritage

Gardener's Magazine 14, (1838), pp 212-13

Country Life, 119 (1 March 1956), pp 380-3; (8 March 1956), pp 426-9; no 12 (22 March 1990), pp 152-9

D Stroud, Capability Brown (1975), p 172

M Faraday, Ludlow 1085-1660 (1991)

Transactions of the Woolhope Naturalists Field Club 47, (1992), pp 210-36 and plates

P A Stamper, Historic Parks and Gardens of Shropshire (1996), pp 7, 28, 54-5, 64, 84-5

Maps

Oakly Park, 1733 (3424), (Shropshire Records and Research Centre)

J Rocque, Map of Shropshire, 1752

Oakly Park, around 1770 (DP 587), (Shropshire Records and Research Centre)

OS 6" to 1 mile: 1st edition surveyed 1884, published 1885; 2nd edition surveyed 1902, published 1903

OS 25" to 1 mile: 1st edition surveyed 1883-4, published 1887; 2nd edition surveyed 1902, published 1904

Archival items

Shropshire Records and Research Centre holds papers including late 16th- and 17th-century leases etc., relating to Oakly Park (20/6/127-47) and account books 1771-5 (552/9/295/4-12).

The Public Record Office holds an account for building the royal hunting lodge in Oakly Park 1552-3 (E101/478/24) and Ashby's papers (C109/71-8).

The National Library of Wales contains the Powis papers; these have not been searched.