Pampisford Hall, Cambridge, England

Pampisford Hall stands within formal gardens, pleasure grounds, arboretum and a park planted from 1820-1870 by William Parker Hammond senior, with an exceptional collection of conifers. After 1840 Robert Marnock (1800-1899) provided plans for the grounds at Pampisford Hall. Marnock had designed the Sheffield Botanic garden and became its first curator in 1834. In 1840, together with Decimus Burton he successfully submitted plans for the layout of the Royal Botanic Society's gardens in the Inner Circle of Regent's Park and became curator there from 1841 to 1869.

Both Kelly's Directory of 1879 and the Gardener's Chronicle of 1884 have extensive descriptions of the gardens at Pampisford Hall, listing 'the magnificent collection of conifers and the planting carried out in a grand conception and with good taste'. The Parker Hammonds imported 1,000 exotic trees and shrubs for their grounds which soon became famous as containing one of the largest collections of conifers in the country. All the more amazing as the soil is chalk. After some years of neglect and the loss of many trees during gales, the garden is undergoing restoration with enthusiasm.

The Cambridgeshire Gardens Trust and the owner would be interested to hear if Marnock's plans for this garden still survive.

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

A mid-19th century pleasure ground, arboretum and the remains of a formal garden, laid out from 1840 onwards to original designs by R Marnock (presumably Robert Marnock) with further later planting.

DESCRIPTION

LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING

Pampisford Hall lies about 8 kilometres south-south-east of Cambridge, in a busy rural part of the county on the south-east edge of the villages of Pampisford and Sawston and covers about 60 hectares. It sits in a triangle of land enclosed by the recently dualled A11 and the busy A505 Royston road which forms the northern boundary of the site. Pampisford village lies to the west, and farmland to the south. The A11 lies to the east, with an agricultural field dividing the road from the historic park which is enclosed on all sides by woodland belts and plantations. There is one major view into and out of the site: that along the south-east Cedar Avenue which lies in the pleasure grounds and focuses the eye out to the surrounding countryside.

REFERENCES

Gardeners' Chronicle, (26 July 1879); (3 May 1884)

Victoria History of the County of Cambridgeshire VI, (1978), pp 105-113

J Kenworthy-Browne et al, Burke's and Savills Guide to Country Houses III, (1981), p 23

Inspector's Report, (English Heritage 1988)

Cambridgeshire Parklands, (Cambridgeshire Record Office 1990), p 50

Maps

Enclosure map for Pampisford, 1799 (Q/RDc2), (Cambridgeshire Record Office)

Map to accompany sale particulars, 1893 (Cambridge Local Studies Library)

OS 6" to 1 mile: 1st edition published 1891

    2nd edition published 1903

    1948 edition

OS 25" to 1 mile: 1st edition published 1886

Archival items

Pampisford Hall estate sale particulars, 1893 (Cambridge Local Studies Library)

Description written: November 1999

Amended: December 2000

Edited: January 2001