Locally Registered Garden: Kingston Russell House (DDO19722)

Brief description of site: Kingston Russell House is south of the A35 on flat ground in the Bride Valley with the land rising to the north. The house is approached from the west down an avenue aligned on the west front where there is a formal forecourt. The east front of the house looks towards Black Down and is formally laid out centred on a summer house at the eastern extremity. The kitchen garden is to the north and tennis court and swimming pool to the south of the formal axis. Brief history of site: Originally the home of the Michel family and not the ancestral home of the Russells ( Dukes of Bedford) as once thought. The house was re-fronted in Portland Stone in 1730 but retains a facade from the time of Charles II on the eastern front. In 1862 the property finally became a possession of the Dukes of Bedford but by the time they resold the property in 1913 it was semi derelict. Mr George Gribble, the new owner, restored the property and Philip Tilden designed extra bays to widen the eastern and western facades. Philip Tilden also laid out the formal garden with yew hedges. Thomas Masterman Hardy was born at Kingston Russell House in 1769, and the Hardy Memorial on the skyline is visible from the garden. John Lothrop Motley, US Ambassador and close friend of Bismark died at the house. The house has had subsequent owners who have restored and added to the gardens. Significance: Some elements of the 18th century garden may well survive as below-ground archaeological remains, and it is this potential which gives the garden significance. The group of structures of probable 1920’s date are typical of their time and form a fine setting for the house.

Record last edited

Apr 13 2016 5:17PM