Easton Park, (also known as Easton Walled Gardens), Grantham, England

The landscape park in an area of South Lincolnshire described by Dr William Stukeley as 'the Montpelier of England' adjoins the small village of Easton and stone cross (1841) "in a beautiful valley, commanding a view of the Great North Road (A1)" (Turnor, 'Grantham', (1805)) now screened by belt planting. The land was once owned by the Cistercian Abbots of Vaudey Abbey. Legend has it that the body of Queen Eleanor rested at Easton on her way to burial in 1296. In 1443 by John Eston Esq and has been the home of the Cholmeley family from Cheshire since 1592, the medieval house stood on the hill east above the River Witham that runs through the valley. The gardens are known to have had seventeenth century fountains. The river Witham was canalised by the time of the 1805 survey. The ha-ha, the winding approach drives from lodges north west (Gothic), and south (demolished), picturesque planting and the horse chestnut avenue, date from the late eighteenth century/ early nineteenth century when Montague Cholmeley (d.1803) was married to Sara Sibthorp the daughter of Humphry Sibthorp MD of Oxford, who had a keen interest in botany, horticulture and trees. His son Sir Montague Cholmeley, Whig MP, rebuilt the house in 1805.  This was again greatly extended by his son, but demolished after WWII.

A splendid French-style formal garden was created in the 1840's on a strong east/west axis with statuary, lions, griffins and stone dogs and fountains. It included steps and wrought iron gates initialled MIC leading to Temple Walk east to a tall archway with open pediment quarry/grotto garden, and seven great garden terraces west and steps leading down a causeway (now gone) to the river, where an ornamental stone bridge led to the walled garden west. This enclosure, probably on the site of an earlier kitchen garden or orchard, is divided by a yew walk, with decorative pavilions north and south (apple store and ‘tool tower') and an iron grill, flanked by pavilions, with wrought iron gates initialled MIC leading to a double lime avenue towards the Great North Road (A1). In 1836 architect Anthony Salvin (1799-1881) is thought to have designed these Tudor-style estate buildings in addition to the Jacobean gatehouse  and stables (1841) that are decorated with the Cholmeley crest - a sheaf of corn. ‘The garden with its terraced banks is very pretty, and the altered entrance from the village I like extremely.' ( Lincoln Record Society, ‘Cholmeley Letters.'September 1850).A mid-nineteenth century commentary records the scene: 

‘A combination of boldly designed carpet beds on either side of the raised road leading to the bridge over the Wytham & along the front of the river, with circular beds & quarter circles surrounding then filled with flowering plants. When the late Mr John Edlington was here the garden was for the most part filled with herbaceous plants & pyramidal trees in picture- severely injured by the severe frosts of last winter & the fine Irish yews were injured beyond the hoe of recovery. Standard roses killed, box trees, Portugal laurel, common laurel & even a couple of fine Cedars of Lebanon.' (Sir Bernard Burke ‘Visitation' (1852-1854))

Franklin D. Roosevelt, later US President, spent part of his honeymoon at Easton, and considered it his 'dream of Nirvana'. In1909 the park hosted an early golf pro am 9-hole tournament with famous professionals such as Harry Vardon. A major and imaginative reincarnation of the overgrown gardens was begun in 2000, 20 tons of debris were removed, the terraces reseeded, and thousands of bulbs planted. However, early varieties of narcissus have appeared after clearances, including Narcissus ‘Van Sion' and Victorian hybrids.

HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT

The medieval manor house and village of Easton was sold to Sir Henry Cholmeley (1562-1620) in 1592. The manor house remained within the Cholmeley family, passing from father to son and in 1803 to Sir Montague Cholmeley (1772-1831), MP for Grantham. Sir Montague, who was created a baronet in 1806, rebuilt the Hall in 1805. The Enclosure map of 1808 shows garden enclosures. Sir Montague's son, also Sir Montague (1802-74), the second baronet made major alterations to the Hall and had gardens laid out in the 1840s. His grandson, Sir Hugh Arthur Henry Cholmeley (1839-1904) made alterations to the terrace gardens. The Cholmeley family ownership continued into the 20th century. The Hall and its grounds were requisitioned during the Second World War by the army and the Hall was demolished in the early 1950s. The gardens were used as a market garden from the 1950s until the 1980s. The gardens and park remain (2000) in private ownership.