The Birdcage Arbour In Melbourne Hall Gardens

The Birdcage Arbour in Melbourne Hall Gardens is a garden pavilion built around 1705-1710 by Robert Bakewell. It was created as the centerpiece of a French-style garden designed by the Royal Gardeners to Queen Anne, 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 wrought iron, featuring a unique cage-like design with elaborate craftsmanship, an open domed roof, and an open cupola above.

Access to the arbour is via a flight of five stone steps that lead up to an advanced doorcase, which is flanked by decorative ironwork panels adorned with scrolls and foliage. Similar decorative panels are found on the sides of the Birdcage, and the domed roof is embellished with iron oak leaves intertwined with scrolled panels. The cupola also features this decorative treatment and is topped with a tall finial. Behind the Birdcage, there is a small room with a large segmental arch leading into the main structure, which has a moulded keystone. Inside, the arbour includes a fitted bench with turned legs. The Birdcage Arbour is listed in the Derbyshire Historic Gardens Register at Grade I.