Covered Seat To West Of Fountain Pond In Melbourne Hall Garden

The covered seat located to the west of the Fountain Pond in Melbourne Hall Garden dates from around 1704 and has undergone some later repairs. It was created as part of a French-style garden designed by the Royal Gardeners to Queen Anne, specifically London and Wise, for Thomas Coke of Melbourne Hall, with construction work carried out by William Cooke of Walcot. The structure is made of stuccoed brick and timber, featuring a curved timber bench supported by turned legs, which fits into an apsidal structure. This structure has a stuccoed segmental brick wall and is topped with a domed leaded roof. It also includes simple panelled timber jambs and a segmental cornice with a raised keystone. This seat was built as a pair to a similar seat located to the east and is included in the Derbyshire Historic Gardens Register at Grade I.