Our work at Prior Park Landscape Garden

1993-1996

There were lots of projects to get stuck into in the early days - mainly at the lower end of the garden. 

The top lake was drained and cleared of silt and a silt trap was created to help maintain clear waters and the all-important reflections. Repairs were also made to the dams and cascade.

The Palladian Bridge was also in need of attention. Vegetation was cleared from around it, stonework repaired, and it was given a new roof of Cornish slate – a nod to creator Ralph Allen’s home county.

Railings were added around the pasture, and the path network was established.

1996-2000

For the first three years, there was no general public access to the garden, except by guided tour. The garden was opened to the public in 1996.

Temporary structures were brought in for the visitor reception area and to cover and protect the Grotto. 

Some of these structures are still present in the garden today, as we continue our plans to restore the garden to its 1764 splendour, at the time of Ralph Allen’s death.

2000-2003

In 2000, a line of trees were planted to the right of the Palladian Bridge as you look down the garden. These trees are seen on a Thorpe and Overton garden plan, dated 1762.

2003-2007

The Wilderness project involved restoring the Serpentine Lake, the Cascade and Cabinet, with lots of planting in the area at the top of the garden. 

Launch of appeal

An appeal was launched, and a grant was received from the Heritage Lottery Fund and preliminary work started in late 2005. 

Trees were thinned out, and new paths created, making this an area for exploring and discovery. Archaeologists worked on the historic line of the Serpentine Lake and studied the original construction of the Cabinet, for an authentic restoration. 

There was a lot of work to do to create a sustainable route for the water that flows down from the Serpentine to the Cascade, under the Cabinet, then down to the lakes at the lower end of the garden. 

The project was finally completed in 2007.

2019-2022

Built in the mid-18th century, both time and the destructive American signal crayfish had taken their toll and the dams required expert attention to make them fit for the 21st century.

Dams project

Before the project got under way, the middle lake stood empty for a few years in order to relieve the pressure on its damaged dam. While time had impacted the lakes’ condition, the American signal crayfish's persistent burrowing contributed to the instability of the bank and led to sinkholes on the paths. Better defence systems against their burrowing were built into the banks and their long term impact is controlled through the creation of a management plan to control numbers. The original 18th-century wall that lines the upstream face of the dam was also been repaired and extended, to help prevent the crayfish burrowing into the dam itself.

Another important aspect of the project was future-proofing the lower dam by improving the its infrastructure and capability, as well as re-profiling the lakes damaged banks. Expert engineers and architects carefully considered how the lower dam should be re-designed to increase its water outlet capacity, in order to ensure that the dam would effectively manage an extreme weather event. Yet whilst modern thinking and advancement in engineering is central to the restoration of the dam, the project team ensured that visually the new design was in keeping with its 18th-century origins.

Before the works began, the lower lake was drained. Similarly to the middle lake, the banks of the lower lake had been deteriorating and gradually slipping into the lake. In fact, the banks had become so steep that some areas had to be roped off. Stabilising the east bank created a more authentic sweeping lawn down to the water’s edge and opens up more of the garden to visitors.

The project involved deconstructing the middle dam and adding a new clay core faced with stone, as well as maintaining the existing section of upstream face wall and building a new wall where there were gaps. Timber edging was added on the downstream face and the improved dam reprofiled, meaning it can safely overtop if faced with extreme flooding while retaining its historic integrity. Similarly, the lower dam was upgraded to cope with extreme flooding. The works also restored the historic cascade between the middle and lower lakes so that it flows freely once again.

The main construction work was completed at the end of spring 2022 when the lakes were refilled and the paths were opened around the lakes once again.

To help restore the beautiful landscape seen in Thomas Robbins' 1762 sketch, the lower lake sees the weed reduced by an amphibious machine during the winter, to restore the reflections on the surface.

Tree maintenance

Since the 1700s, trees self-seeded and views closed in, so we began a five-year programme of tree felling to open up the historic views, which ran alongside the dams project.

Although some trees needed to be removed to enable construction vehicles to access the lake area, the trees lost have been replaced with trees and shrubs that are more authentic and in keeping with the 18th-century style. In autumn 2022, we started the replanting phase of the project, planting nearly 4,000 trees, shrubs and ferns to populate the new shrubberies created as part of the dams project.

Here is what the next steps in our conservation of this 18th-century landscape garden look like.

Historic planting

Planting is a constant theme in the work of the garden team; using historic plans to mirror the planted areas in Ralph Allen’s time, and always only using plants that were around in the UK in the mid-1700s.

The addition of thousands of daffodil bulbs in the Summer House Glade created the glorious spring displays that can be enjoyed every year.

Studying the Thatched Cottage

Archaeologists studied the remains at the Thatched Cottage site alongside the lower lake. The remains are open for visitors to see, and we hope that this is a lost garden feature we can restore in the future.

Protecting the Grotto

We’ve worked hard to protect the historic features of the Grotto and to improve the experience for visitors to the garden. 

In 2016 we worked with lighting company, Enlightened, to black out the old scaffold structure, and shine a light on the historic Grotto archways. 

The mosaic floor was covered with sand to protect it and a digital model of the garden - created by Bath University - was installed to show visitors how the garden might have looked in Ralph Allen’s day.

 

Thank you 

With your ongoing support, we're able to continue our vital conservation work. Thank you for helping to protect these special places.