Walled garden at Giffords Hall

Walled garden of Giffords Hall, probably constructed in the late C17, with additions in the C18, C19 and C20.

MATERIALS: the walled garden, orangery and bothies are constructed of red brick, with some gault brick to the front (garden-facing) elevation of the orangery. The roofs of the orangery and bothies are slate covered.

PLAN: the walled garden southeast of the Hall is rectangular on plan and measures approximately 85m x 60m; it is open at its northwest corner and has a curved southwest corner (where the east avenue curves around it to the gatehouse of the Hall). It is constructed on a sloping site, with a drop of approximately 7m between the west and east walls. The orangery and bothies are each rectangular on plan and are attached to the exterior side of the north wall.

DESCRIPTION: the walled garden was constructed of red brick, probably in the late C17. The north exterior elevation of the walled garden retains a number of garden bothies, built in the late C19 and early C20; these single-storey structures are constructed of red brick with a catslide slate roof sloping from the garden wall. South of the bothies, a late C20 spider's-web timber door, designed by Peter Coats, provides access to the interior of the walled garden. The east exterior elevation of the walled garden is approximately 2.5m high and appears to show two phases of construction: the northern stretch, approximately 20m in length, has panelled sections separated by shallow buttresses over a coped brick plinth wall; the remaining 40m or so to the south has more substantial sloping buttresses which project from the wall and is probably of the earliest phase. The southeast corner has a large stone ball finial atop a red brick pier. The south elevation also has substantial sloping buttresses, and another late C20 spider's-web gate by Peter Coats.

The orangery is a rectangular-plan structure, constructed of red brick laid in English garden wall bond. It has a single-pitched slate roof sloping away to the north, with three late-C20 skylights. The front (south) elevation to the walled garden is constructed of gault brick with red brick dressings and has three red-brick recessed panels to the parapet, and a pilaster to each side topped by a stone urn. The front elevation has three flat-arched openings: a central glazed timber door has a six-pane overlight and is flanked by nine-over-nine timber sash windows, all in moulded timber frames flush with the brickwork.