Walls, Gates And Piers Of An Enclosure At Orchard House Along Roadside And Surrounding The Property

The remains of a late 16th-century red brick walled enclosure, originally a walled garden for Nine Ashes. The enclosure now surrounds the grounds and house at Orchard House. The road frontage is in English bond brickwork, featuring a decorative pattern of black headers, with the upper section having been rebuilt. There is a blocked doorway with a timber lintel. A short, low projecting plinth runs along part of the wall. A modern semicircular embayment with gates and four piers provides an entrance. The enclosure is believed to be a surviving feature from either Sir Thomas Forster's late 16th-century house or an earlier building he altered. It forms an important part of the roadside setting alongside the buildings of Nine Ashes Farm, and the route to the church and Hunsdon House.