Cambridgeshire

Wimpole archaeology walk

This walk is about 1 mile and is mainly on flat ground; it takes about an hour to complete, and most of the land you will be walking on is now scheduled as an Ancient Monument.

Planning your walk

Don't forget to bring your National Trust membership card to access the Parkland at Wimpole.

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Total steps: 12

Start point

Wimpole stable block, grid ref: TL336509

Step 1

From the entrance to the stables, turn left, cross the estate road and head through the kissing gate into the field beyond.

Step 2

Bear slightly to your right and continue for approximately 300yd (275m) until you reach a fish pond, surrounded by a fence and a copse.

18th-century fish pond

The second Earl of Radnor had a string of six ponds dug here at the end of the 17th century, with water running from one to the other. Fish, at this time, were always a luxury food in areas far from the sea. Some of these ponds were filled in during the 1720s to allow for Bridgeman's vista towards Whaddon steeple, and by 1815 only one remained, which is the one you see today.

Step 3

Continue on and immediately south of the pond you will reach the site of Thresham End.

Thresham End

The Thresham End settlement is documented as early as the 15th century and, in 1638, it formed part of the village of Old Wimpole. Hare's map shows it to have consisted of four houses along Wimpole Way. Thresham End was demolished in the late 17th century when Chicheley and John Cutler developed the park. Very little is visible today, except for one well-formed platform, possibly the site of a house. Some of the lumps and bumps in this area are old house sites; the shallow hollow between the ponds is the old village street.

Step 4

Beyond the site of Thresham End, bear right and head towards the right-hand side of a fenced area surrounded by trees. This is My Lady's Pond.

Step 5

Bear slightly to the right and continue to the edge of the field towards a five-bar gate. You will have a good view of the Avenue in front of you.

Four Acre Covert

On the left as you approach the bottom of the field is a small area of woodland. This is Four Acre Covert, which was planted around 1840, mainly with oak, and probably for the rearing of young pheasants or as covert for hunting. Many such copses in the park, which began life as purely functional parts of the landscape, have now evolved into locally important habitats for wildlife. Fallow deer and foxes are often seen here.

Step 6

Turn right at the five-bar gate in front of you (but don't go through it) and continue across the Avenue following the fence. Go through a small kissing gate to the right of the small copse ahead.

Southern end of the park

The large ditch on your left was the southern end of the park as extended by Chicheley in the 1650s. At this time the boundary was marked by the medieval Rushbrooke Way, leading from Orwell towards Bennall End. When the 2nd Earl of Radnor extended the gardens towards the south, the holloway was probably dug deeper to make a ditch to keep out the deer. As you go through the gate, two Lombardy poplars are on your right, planted in the 1880s near two cricket pavilions, now demolished. On your right, the broad bank down the middle of the Avenue is the original South Avenue and the flattened area is the cricket pitch.

Step 7

Bear to the right and head for the corner of the small copse ahead of you.

Step 8

Between the area of recent replanting in the copse and the estate road, look to your right at the uneven ground. This is the site of Bennall End, another mediaeval settlement.

Bennall End

Shards of pottery from the 13th century unearthed here suggest the site was inhabited at least by then, if not earlier. At the time of Hare's 1638 map, the settlement consisted of ten houses, and the banks and ditches of the property plots are clearly visible. Bennall End appears to have been a later addition to the scattered village of Wimpole, which had probably become over-populated. This reflects the typical population growth of 12th- and 13th-century England. Bennall End was again cleared when the park was extended under Chicheley in the late 17th century. The village population would have moved to the new outlying farms.

Step 9

After passing the copse, continue until reaching the estate road. Stop by the kissing gate and look to your left down the drive to the site of the American military hospital.

Step 10

At this point, turn right and walk along the estate road towards the house.

Step 11

Continue along the estate road and stop by the large oak tree on the right-hand side.

Step 12

Continue until reaching a cattle grid on the lawn in front of the hall, and the remains of an ornamental water garden. After examining these remains continue along the road in front of the hall to the stables, where the walk ends.

Old water garden

You'll see a back-filled, square, moat-like feature crossing the path – the remains of an ornamental water garden developed by the 2nd Earl of Radnor, originally surrounded by elm trees. Kip's 1707 engraving shows that small trees in tubs once stood in the central plot, probably oranges in the west wing of the house (now demolished). This garden appears to have been demolished during the 'naturalising' period of 'Capability' Brown and William Eames. The big lime tree in one corner is one of the older trees in the park, at around 350 years old.

End point

Wimpole stable block, grid ref: TL336509

Trail map

Wimpole archaeology walk map | © Crown copyright and database rights 2013 Ordnance Survey

Snowdrops in the foreground of Wimpole Hall

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Arrington, Royston, Cambridgeshire, SG8 0BW

01223206000

wimpolehall@nationaltrust.org.uk

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Planning your walk

Total steps: 12

Total steps: 12

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End point

Trail map