Covered Seat To East Of Fountain Pond In Melbourne Hall Gardens

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