Bushy Park Water Gardens Timeline

Sunday, 26 May 2013

	Upper Lodge and the Water Gardens, Bushy Park, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
	Date: From 1514 to present

2007	The present house at Upper lodge (see photograph) was built around 1840. This replaced the house built by the Earl of Halifax when he became Keeper of Bushy Park in 1709. Archaeological excavations between 1997 and 1999 revealed the structural remains of a 16^th/17^th century hunting lodge. This was probably a brick extension to an earlier timber lodge.
1514	Thomas Wolsey of Ipswich, (1472-1530), son of an innkeeper and butcher, Archbishop of York and Chief Minister to King Henry VIII, took a new 99 year lease on Hampton Court and starts to build Hampton Court on the land.
1529	Wolsey gives Hampton Court to Henry VIII.
1536	Henry commences the dissolution of the monasteries. Execution of Anne Boleyn.
	‘Sept 29^th: Hampton Court – Account of Thomas Heneage, Armiger, Bailiff of the Lord King there by Robert Manning of all profits Namely for one complete year ending at the feast of St Michael the Archangel in the 28^th year of the reign of the aforesaid Lord King …. Henry VIII, 1536 Repairs with Enclosure of the Parks And in money paid … both for repair of a certain tenement in Hampton in which Joh’es Feld is living, 16s 10d, …’ [PRO SC6/Henry VIII 211, 1536]
1537	John Feld/Fyld/ Field/Felde was the tenant of Upper Lodge when the land around it was emparked. Upper Lodge was then called ‘Fylds Lodge’ and the land round it was known as the ‘new park’ or ‘Fylds Park’.
	Sir Stephen Hamerton, rebel leader from Ribbleswade in the Pilgrimage of Grace, was executed at Tyburn in August 1537. A relative of his would take over the lease of ‘Fylds Park’ in 1569.
	‘Jun 16^thJuly 14^th: Dyching in hampton heath for y^e in largeyng of the new perke upon ye west syd. payd to John Stoon of the weke (Wick) laborer ffor dyggyng & Castyng of a dyche In Hampton hethe conteyng xlv^ti Rodds in leynghth ffyve brod and thre foots in depthe at v^d the rodd.’ [PRO E36/244/p.274]
	‘Dec 1^st22^nd:Also pd to Thomas gadsbe of kyngston ffor gatheryng of xxxijti ml quyksetts of white thorne to sett a bought the new perke unto Hampton towne at iiij^s iiij^d (4s.4d.) the thousand dd in the saide perke v^livj^sviii^d(£5.6s.8d.)’ [PRO E36/245/p.227-9]
1538	‘May 18^th-June 15^th: Paid to Willi gydler of marten (Merton) Carpenter for taking downe and setting up an olde barne in ffylds field containing xxxvj^tfoots lowng and xx^ti foots wyd new growsellyng the same by convencyon – xxxvj^s iiij^d‘ [PRO E36/239/p.623] [The barn had been brought from Merton Priory after the Priory was dissolved, and re-erected at Upper Lodge to replace an old one which was no longer usable. PRO E36/239, p.623]
1541	John Feld is shown as tenant of a free tenement with 8 acres of meadow, 27 acres of pasture and arable in various separate parcels in the common fields and worth 53s.4d. in 1541-1545.
1544	Henry VIII constructs Duke of Northumberland's River, now known as the Longford River.
1548	‘Edward the Sixth, King of England, by letters patent under his Great Seal by a grant prepared in his Court of Augmentations and Crown Revenues … delivered, granted and demised a farm to his beloved John Frankwell, Gentlman, all that his tenement and one barn and one stable belonging to the same tenement ‘.
1561	Will of John ffranckwell Esquire one of the Gentlemen Ushers of the Queene Ma^ties chamber [PRO PROB11/43, sig.5, folio37]
1569	Lease from the Queene ‘both in consideration of the good and faithful service by our beloved William Hamerton, a Groom of our Stable, performed before this time and to come … grant and demise at farm … all that aforesaid tenement and the aforesaid barn and stable … and also 8 acres of meadow, 3 acres of pasture and 15 acres of arable land with appurtenances, then now or lately in the tenure of John Felde … .’ [PRO C66/1039]
1578	St. Mary’s, Hampton, Parish Register: ‘Wylm Hammerton sepultura 27 December 1578’.
			Extract from Norden’s map of 1592. The enclosure above the word Hampton of Hampton Court might possibly be ‘Fylds Lodge’ and the land round it was known as the ‘new park’ or ‘Fylds Park’.
1579	Lease from the Queene to Edward Hamerton for 21 years to run from Michaelmas 1579. ‘both in consideration of the surrender (by William Hamerton) and for the fine of one hundred and six shillings and eightpence of lawful money of England … grant and demise at farm … all that aforesaid tenement and the aforesaid barn and stable … and 27 acres of arable land and pasture and 8 acres of meadow, with appurtenances, formerly in the tenure of John Feld, afterwards in the tenure of John Frankwell, lately in the tenure of William Hamerton, deceased … .’ [PRO E309/6/22ELIZ/5, No.15]
1588
	Edward Hamerton: ‘The office of Keeper of the Stables at Hampton Court, with the fee of xij^li iij^s iiij^d (£12.3s.4d.) by the yeare, and other commodities whatsoever graunted to Edward Hamerton during life. *Subscribed by the Erle of Leicester.’* [PRO SO3/1, 157]				} *6s 8d*
1603	The Plague in Hampton: there were around 100 recorded deaths.
1611	Keeper’s lodge erected in Middle Park by William May probably for John Rutledge, Keeper, now site of Bushy House (Lower Lodge).
1628	Richard Graham or Grimes was Keeper of Middle Park, protégé of the Duke of Buckingham.
	His neighbour at Upper lodge was Sir John Hippersley, also a protégé of the Duke of Buckingham.
1630	James, Marquess of Hamilton, was granted the keepership of Bushie Park and the office of Paler of the same Park, and others for life.
1638/1639	Longford River planned and completed.
1642	Civil War starts: Battle of Brentford.
1648	A New Keeper’s lodge, called the ‘Greater Lodge’, was built on site of Bushy House. Occupied by James Challenor, a crony of Cromwell.
1653	The parliamentary survey of the parks was made preparatory to selling the assets. Upper Lodge, enclosed ground commonly called the Olde Parke, was described as, ‘the messuage or dwelling house in the tenure of Sir John Hippersley, commonly called the Greater Lodge, consisting of a hall, a faire parlor, a kitchen, a pantry, and other convenient Roomes belowe stayres, seven Lodging rooms above stayres, with a large Barne, Stable, and other outhouses, belonging to the same …’.
1656	Greater Lodge occupied by John Bradshaw, President of the Court that tried and condemned Charles I. Bradshaw died in 1659.
1660	After the Restoration the Keepership of Bushy Park was given to Silius Titus, one of the Grooms of the King’s Bedchamber, a friend and supporter of the new King.
1663	Edward Proger, a Groom of the King’s Bedchamber, was commended by the King to ‘build a Lodge for our Service in one of our Parks att Hampton Court called North Parke’. Designed by William Samwell, one of Charles II’s court architects. It cost £4.000 to build.
	Proger’s house is the core of the present Bushy House, one embellished plaster ceiling remains visible. The rest is encased in brickwork.
1665	The Plague in Hampton Court, Twickenham and London.
	Edward Proger was made keeper of the Middle Park in November and remained so for 48 years until his death.
1667	Richard (John) Lightfoot granted custody of Bushy Park. He resided at Upper Lodge until 1680.
1677	Barbara Palmer, Duchess of Cleveland, Ranger of Bushy Park, until 1709.
	William Young was appointed as Keeper of Bushy Park, during the life of Barbara, Duchess of Cleveland and the Duke of Northumberland.
1684/1685	Henry Saville was made Keeper of Bushy Park. He petitioned the Treasury for money to repair the lodge, as it was in disorder. He also petitioned for the wall around the garden, now the oldest visible structure. Saville died in 1687.
	Map showing site of Upper Lodge and the Longford River going straight to Reed Pond south west of the house [Bodleian Library, Gough Drawings a.4. folio 62, circa. 1700]
1700	Fitton Gerard, third and last Earl of Macclesfield, was the next recorded occupier of Upper Lodge. He died in 1701. He had an avenue of 110 large elms planted by Henry Wise leading to ‘my Lord Macclesfield’s’ from the south, along the line of the old (possibly Roman) road through the Lodge grounds. Works were also carried out on the gardens to the south of the house.
1703	The Great Storm, a national disaster.
1707	Warrant for the appointment of The Duke of Grafton as keeper of Bushy Park by assignment from William Young and the Duchess of Cleveland.
1708/1709	Petition of Charles, Lord Halifax showing that he purchased ‘the Rangership of Bushey Park at Hampton Court for the lives of the Duchess of Cleveland and the Duke of Northumberland, wherein there is a lodge for many years uninhabited and very rotten: … ‘.
1709		When Charles Montagu, 1^st Earl of Halifax took over as Keeper of Bushy Park early in 1709, the lodge was ruinous. In return for a lease on the house for three lives, he agreed to repair the lodge and grounds at his own expense (White & Foster 1997, 22). The earlier house had not been on the site that he used to rebuild the lodge, but off-centre to the west. A compartment of the walled gardens extended south over part of the terrace. This was removed entirely in the redesigning of the site. It cost over £1,000 to rebuild the Lodge, the garden walls, the Brewhouse, the dovecot and to plant the orchard and gardens.
	The Brewhouse today
1710	In about 1710 the Longford river was diverted into a new high pond at Upper Lodge as part of the Earl of Halifax’s water gardens. That the cascade was being created in 1710 is proven by an instruction to ‘Matthew Banks’, probably the son of Wren’s master carpenter, Matthew Banckes, to ‘Matthew Banks for making Bayes to keep the Water back while the Cascade was putte down in Bushey Parke, … ‘. [Country Life, January 6, 2000, p.46, Water Glittered Everywhere, by John Harris] There appears to have been a scheme for tree planting around the Lodge that was never carried out. Halifax was proud of of the creation of his Water Gardens. He invited Dean Swift to visit him there, but Swift declined.
				Vista plan of the Water Gardens based on an extract from John Rocque, Survey and Map circa.1710 [PRO MR/1454]
1713	Death of Edward Proger on New Year’s Eve, aged 92, of ‘the anguish of cutting teeth’. The Earl of Halifax had purchased the reversion of the keeperships of Middle Park and Harewarren in 1709.. He preferred to keep Upper Lodge as his country residence, rather than Bushy House.
1711
	Map by Charles Bridgeman, 1711 A General Plan of Hampton Court Pallace Gardens & Parkes
1714	Accession of George I on the death of Queen Anne.
	Halifax had been in the circle of men of letters that included Dryden, Addison, Congreve and Garth, he wrote verse himself. He was one of the first Patrons of Pope before he moved to Twickenham.
	Letter by Samual Molyneux, 1713/14 February 14^th: ‘From Hampton Court we went to see a lodgeing Park call’d Bushy park belonging to the Palace which is now in the hands of my Lord Halifax as Ranger I believe of that Park, there is little here or nothing remarkable but the Cascade which was not very high but little and yet beautifully dispos’d so as to fall between two fine pieces of Grotto Work where are places left for Paintings representing two Caves in which the little walks round the Basin of the Cascade and the Paintings are removable so as to be taken away in Winter …’
1715	Following the unexpected death of the Earl of Halifax, his mistress, Catherine Barton, continued to live in the house. His nephew, George Montagu, was created 2^nd Earl of Halifax on a different grant and made Keeper of Bushy Park, Middle Park and Harewarren.
		Drawing of the cascade by Bernard Lens, 18^th century
1728	Death of Catherine Barton, rumoured to have been secretly married to the Earl of Halifax and to have occupied Upper lodge after his death in 1715.
1734
	Letter by Samual Molyneux, 1713/14 February 14^th: ‘Plate XXXIV is an Upright and Perspective of the Cascade at Bushy Park, the real Design (at least the approved one) of that great Maecenas of his Age, the late Earl of Halifax, whose true taste in rural and extensive Gardening, I have long ago took leave to celebrate. This very handsome rural Design is supply’d by a Branch of the River Colne; which, though not affording a perpetual Current, yet is never wanting to give Spectators a peculiar Pleasure. The design is so well known, that I need not expatiate or enlarge upon it; but is, however, of so rude an rustick a Manner that it may well serve as a Patten or Model to any that shall be disposed to make use of Water Works. There is one thing observable in the Judgement of the Noble Lord before-mentioned, and which is not endeavouring to crowd much Wood about this Cascade, as the Italians and French do, inasmuch as it is in a Countrywhere there is not so much heat as there is in those first mentioned; and this Consideration it is, that has very justly been the Occasion of some modern and very great Designers in Gardening, to make their Designs more open and free from Cover; because Water, however, delightful it is, is apt (especially in the shade, and not clear) to detract greatly from the Beauty of it. And – this, in my humble Opinion, is a very great objection to the otherwise to the very pretty trifling Waterworks of my late deceased ingenious Friend John Kyrle Erily of Sandy Lane, Wilts.’ [Stephen Switzer, An Introduction to a General System of Hydrostatics and Hydraulics, 1734, p. 403]
1737	Death of George Montagu, 2^nd Earl of Halifax. His son, also George Montagu Dunk, became next Earl of Halifax and the next Keeper of the Parks.
1741	John Rocque publishes his maps of London, including Hampton and Hampton Court

	Coloured extract from John Rocque’s Bushy Park map of Upper Lodge.
1771	Death of George Montagu Dunk. Lord North, whose mother was a daughter of the 2^nd Earl of Halifax became Ranger of Bushy Park. Following his death, Anne, Lady North, took over as Ranger.
			Engraving of Upper Lodge 1770
1784	General Roy surveys map of OS Baseline
1797	Death of Anne, Lady North, Ranger of Bushy Park.
1811	Hampton Enclosure Award
1823	The house was still square as Halifax had built it, although a bay had been added to the south front.
1840	The present yellow brick house must have been built by this time when it was a Grace and Favour residence occupied by the Earl of Denbigh. It has been suggested that it was designed by Sir John Soane. [Bushy Park was opened to the public in the reign of Queen Victoria.]
1854	Occupied by Lady Isabella Wemyss, widow of General Wemyss, Equerry to the Queen.
1868	After the death of Lady Wemyss, the Lodge was given to Lord Alfred Paget, Equerry and Clerk-Marshall of the Royal Household. He died in 1888 and his widow continued to use the house as one of her houses for another twenty-five years.
1913	Upper Lodge vacated by Lady Paget. The Lodge was offered to Lord Carrington and then Lord Lincolnshire, both of whom accepted but neither actually came into occupation.
1914	Upper Lodge used to accommodate soldiers’ wives and families. Later loaned to the Canadian Red Cross Society as a hospital and convalescent home for wounded Canadian soldiers.
1918			After the war ended, the King granted Upper Lodge to the London County Council as a holiday ‘open air’ school for poor boys from the East End of London who were suffering from respiratory diseases. It was known as the King’s Canadian School. Boys swimming in the lower pool.
1932	King’s Canadian School leaves Upper Lodge.
1942	After the United States of America entered the war in 1942, their forces took over many of the temporary buildings in Bushy Park which had been erected to replace bombed out London offices. These became the nucleus of the headquarters of their Eighth Army Air Force. It was named Camp Griffis. Some American Forces were also billeted at Upper Lodge. When they departed they left a concrete obelisk with the inscription, ‘5 C D, TEXAS, 1942.
				The Texas Stone
1945	After the war Upper Lodge was transferred to the Admiralty for use as an extension to the Admiralty Research Laboratory at Teddington.
1990	Foundation of The Friends of Bushy and Home Parks to halt the clear felling of the Chestnut Avenue.
1993	Publication by The Friends of Bushy and Home Parks publish ‘Upper Lodge, Bushy Park, A Hidden Heritage’, by Kathy White.
1994	Admiralty finally relinquished its lease on Upper Lodge to the Crown Estate.
1996	Miklos Rajnai, an Hungarian academic, visits the Water Gardens and declares that, ‘This is the first Jacob Bogdani painting to have its background identified and I am privileged to be standing in it.’ He published his paper on Jacob Bogdani in April 1996.
	An extract from: A pair of peafowl in a park by an ornamental pond, Jacob Bogani (1660-1724)
1997	30 May 1997 Formation of the Bushy Park Water Gardens Trust by the Friends of Bushy and Home Parks.

© Google Earth The complete length of the Water garden from the National Physical Laboratory in the east to Pantile Bridge in the west; a total length of 960 metres (almost two thirds of a mile).
2007	The Royal Parks take the first steps towards the partial restoration of the Water Gardens. Annual Lecture at The Twickenham Museum on this history and current restoration plans for the Water Gardens by Kathy White. Exhibition of the Water Gardens mounted in conjunction with The Royal Parks and the Friends of Bushy and Home Parks at The Twickenham Museum. The exhibition was visited by HRH The Princess Alexandra.
2008	Restoration Master Plan and historical research arising from the initial impetus of the Friends in practical use as the Water Gardens completes partial restoration funded by a Heritage Lottery Grant to The Royal Parks.
2009	Planned partial restoration completed. The Water Gardens at Upper Lodge officially opened by HRH The Princess Alexandra.
2010	The Friends of Bushy and Home Parks embark on a fund-raising enterprise to design and install finials on the grottoes at the Cascade.
2011	Finials on Cascade installed.
2012	The Friends of Bushy and Home Parks now raising funds to replace and install the metal reeds in the lower pond adjacent to the Cascade

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