Features Of Formal Garden To South West Of Ridgemead

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EGHAM U.D. RIDGEMEAD ROAD (north side, off) Englefield Green Features of formal garden to south-west of Ridgemead

II Features of formal garden at Ridgemead comprising terraces, pavilion, colonnades, paving, walls, retaining walls, steps, swimming pool and urns. c1938 (date Ridgemead (q.v.) was completed) by Robert Lutyens for Captain Woolf Barneto.

Ashlar, brick, tile, concrete swimming pool, pantile pavilion roofs. Terrace with sunken pools in front of house and sunken garden on its southeast terminating at southwest end in pavilions with colannades either side, flanking open northeast end of brick-walled garden which gives on to sunk rose garden on southeast and swimming pool on southwest. The rectangular northwestern upper terrace has moulded, sunken centre with three interlinked pools, the one nearest house grassed over. The sunken garden to its southeast has stone coped brick retaining walls and a broad flight of stone steps at each end. The pavilions of white-painted brick with ashlar dressings, are square on plan and mirror the pavilions attached to the house (q.v.); they have eight-panel doors in stone architraves facing house and lunette with radial glazing bars to return; moulded bands below two offset stages; hipped swept roofs. Colonnades have square-section tile piers on stone plinths supporting cambered-topped timber lintels (some now gone).

South-western walled garden has brick walls approximately 1 metre high and formerly surrounded by three tiers of semi-circular tiles below stone cornice, now gone from all but southwestern section; end wall ramps down to central entrance; side walls have brick piers flanking central entrance to rose garden and swimming pool area; at northeastern end two large, bulbons, earthenware urns on tile plinths.

Sunken rose garden has brick retaining walls with flat stone coping and broad, shallow stone steps on three sides down to flagged terrace with rose beds and central urn, as before. Concrete lined sunken swimming pool has fountain at one end and wooden stands to former diving boards at other. Included for group value.

C Hussey, "Ridgemead - Englefield Green", Country Life, 10 February 1940, pp 144-148 and 17 February, pp 172-176.

Listing NGR: SU9897472436