The Gardens Cottage And Kitchen Garden Wall

The Gardens Cottage and Kitchen Garden Wall is a Grade II listed structure located in Shenley Porters Park. The walled garden, originally from the 17th century, was enlarged in the 18th century and serves the Porters Park Mansion. The wall is constructed of red brick in English bond on the west side and Flemish bond on the south and east sides, with much of it rendered in cement. It features a tile coping and has an elongated octagonal shape, standing 3 to 4 metres high. A continuous plinth runs along the base, with pilaster buttresses at the corners and 19th-century raking buttresses supporting the 17th-century walling on the west side. There are ramps and steps leading up to the north, with the principal entrance located to the northeast between brick piers. Openings with segmental heads are present on the south and west sides, along with another access to the north that leads directly into glasshouses, which are lean-tos situated against the wall on the north and east sides.

The Gardens Cottage, dating from around 1840 to 1850, is attached to the wall to the south of the northeast entrance. It is made of stuccoed brick and has a hipped slate roof. The cottage is two storeys high with a three-window front, featuring a central entrance with a panelled door and a rectangular fanlight above. The ground floor has glazing bar sash windows with 12 panes, while the first floor has 9 panes, all set in reveals. The eaves soffit is also present. The right side of the cottage has four cast-iron colonnettes supporting a small verandah. There are two stacks at the rear, with the left stack being demolished, and the cottage has been extended to the rear right under a catslide roof. The interior has not been inspected.