Terraces, Balustraded Bastions, Steps And Boat House

The terraces, balustraded bastions, steps, and boat house at Oteley were constructed between 1826 and 1842 for Charles Kynaston Mainwaring. They are made of snecked yellow sandstone with ashlar dressings. The upper and lower terraces are approximately 100 meters long, ending in bastions. The upper terrace features a ramped parapet with regularly spaced sloping buttresses and four bastions, with the northern and the first from the south having projecting balustrades on top. A panelled urn with a stepped plinth and base is located on the south bastion. Below, there is a curious kiln-like structure accessed through chamfered Tudor arches on the sides. Various flights of steps lead from the upper to the lower terrace, with the main flight in the center descending to the boat house. The paths are decorated with ornamental black and white pebbled designs featuring guilloche and geometrical patterns. A stone bench is positioned on the platform above the boat house, which has a tourelle at the south-west corner. External steps on the north side lead down to the bank of the mere, and the boat house itself has twin segmental-chamfered arches.

Charles Kynaston Mainwaring was an enthusiastic amateur gardener who traveled extensively in Europe. He is believed to have designed much of the garden at Oteley and its features. His house, Oteley Park, was built in an Elizabethan style on the site of an earlier building between 1826 and 1830 and was extended in 1842, but it was demolished around 1960. The terraces are beautifully situated above the mere.