The Living Landscape; Animals in Parks and Gardens of Essex,

The Living Landscape has been written by members of the Essex Gardens Trust Research Group. It represents a notable achievement.

The volume contains ten research papers. The subject of each paper has been carefully chosen so that the volume forms a coherent and comprehensive review of the historical evidence and the utility of animals in park and garden landscapes. The papers often give fascinating insight into the management of animals for both consumption and pleasure. Seven papers relate directly to animals; fish and fishponds; rabbits and warrens; dovecotes; honey bees; cattle; horses and stabling; aviaries and menageries. Two papers examine specific aspects of particular estates; the evolution of Braxted Park from a medieval deer park into a landscape park and an investigation of the typography of the Thorndon Hall estate to understand the accommodation of diverse groups of animals (including a menagerie). A further paper records those references to Essex deer parks in court rolls, drawing on a wider, national exercise. Wherever possible the focus is towards Essex parks and gardens. Some illustrations from the papers may help to demonstrate the special relevance and wide scope of the work.

Honey bees? Essex has a long tradition of bee-keeping, well documented even in the Domesday Survey of 1086. The unit of management of the honey bee was the ‘skep’. A traditional skep is a closed basket constructed from coiled rope. Larger colonies with several skeps would be accommodated in bee-houses. These were usually wooden garden structures, becoming increasingly elaborate and decorative with some designs incorporating glass windows to enable viewing of the bees. The protection of bees in adverse conditions is necessary, often effected by some suitable wooden construction but sometimes utilising a bee bole, a brick or stone alcove in a wall sufficient to take a skep. Much interest has been shown in surviving bee boles and a national register for them has been compiled. Fourteen, out of 23 early surviving structures, related to bees in Essex, are listed and described in The Living Landscape, but just one of these is a possible bee house, the remainder being boles. It is hinted that discoveries of such boles are still to be made, but it must be anticipated that these, like many of those listed, are privately owned.

Consider the prominent ‘fishponds’ at Leez Priory. Fishponds are stated to require four general design features; a ready supply of fresh, aerated water; means to provide effective, independent sluice control of the pond levels to circumvent flooding; means to drain a pond for maintenance of both pools and fish stocks; provision of varied habitats within the pools for the needs of breeding fish etc.. Although now silted, the 12 ponds at the priory still form a visible chain along the course of the River Ter to the north of the priory. Were the ponds really fishponds associated with the monastery?

Although there are examples of such chains in other monastic fishponds, none approach the extent of that at Leez Priory. However, the priory was not wealthy and it is unlikely that such an expensive chain was affordable, and in any case the complex would have been too productive for the needs of the monastery. Furthermore, the situation of the ponds does not demonstrate that they could have been independently drained and managed. An alternative purpose for the chain of ponds must be sought and some documentary evidence suggests that it might have been a landscape feature associated with the enhancement of the estate by Sir Richard Rich, who was granted the priory in 1536. (This departs from the conclusion of one earlier commentator that the ponds were prehistoric!)

There are many results throughout the volume that are the product of diligent, thorough research. For the deer park seeker, the study of references to deer parks in the Calendars of Letters Patent and Charter Rolls has generated seven ‘new’ Essex parks, candidates for further investigation, to add to around the 160 already listed. For a further eight parks an earlier date is discovered which predates the anticipated date of imparkment already suggested.

The agricultural revolution and the increasing importance of profitable agriculture meant that cattle gradually replaced deer in the park. This change is explored by close examination of both textual sources and paintings. Repton is often found commenting on the attractive dynamic introduced into the parkland scene through the movement of the cattle. Furthermore, Repton was aware that the use of smaller breeds of cattle, for example Alderney cattle, could enhance the illusion of the extent of the park. In 1837 Hillyard in a book, Practical Farming and Grazing, wishing to maximise the decorative effect, promotes the use of the breed because of their ‘generally gay colour, red and white’.

A further example of an intriguing list records historical references to warrens and warreners that occur in documents in the Essex Record Office. Although the warren might support game as well as rabbits, in the majority of these entries rabbits are specifically noted. The records are listed against parish and seventy parishes are included, sometimes with more than one warren or warrener. The earliest Essex warrens are attributed to the Bishop of London in 1241 in the parishes of Clacton and Horsey Island. Most entries are late-sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, reflecting the transition from the noble ownership of a warren to the later widespread and commercial success of the rabbit.

These scattered extracts from The Living Landscape can only hint at the well-planned, scholarly and readable volume that is the result. The volume contributes much to our awareness of the garden and park landscape in Essex. The common theme linking the papers, of course, is the influence of animals on the landscape and in this respect the organization of the volume ensures that the ground is well covered. The opportunity for the interested reader to add to the understanding and interpretation of the subject is invited by the work. Tight editorial control and production has ensured that the research carried out by the contributors is presented in the best possible manner. All involved should be congratulated on their achievement.

A must buy and at a bargain price!