Garden Pavilions, Walls And Terraces Immediately South And South West Of Athelhampton Hall, Including Wall And Archway Linking Gardens To Stables

Garden pavilions, walls, and terraces were constructed around 1891 by Francis Inigo Thomas for Cart de la Fontaine, immediately south and southwest of Athelhampton Hall. The design incorporates ham stone walls that enclose three linked gardens. A boundary wall, also of rubble stone with moulded coping, connects these gardens to the stables. This wall features a four-centred moulded arched opening flanked by buttresses.

At the southwest end of the gardens, a raised terrace is accessed from the garden via stone steps. A low balustrade lines the garden side, with a moulded capping and obelisks at intervals. A solid wall forms the rear of the terrace, incorporating a central seat, both capped by obelisks. At each end of the terrace stand square ashlar pavilions, each topped with a pyramidal hipped tiled roof and stone eaves courses. Corinthian angle pilasters support an entablature, featuring a cornice with egg and tongue moulding. Within the inner facing walls of each pavilion, a glazed door is framed within a moulded surround, surmounted by a solid semi-circular tympanum containing masks representing the east and west winds. A cartouche displays the date 1891. Stone mullion and transom windows are present on the other pavilion faces. Below the terrace, rectangular pools are situated on the garden side. A central stone fountain occupies one pool.

To the northeast of this garden is “The Corona,” a garden enclosed by a circular stone wall with a scalloped top, punctuated by obelisks. A four-centred archway features on the east side of The Corona, connecting it to the southwest garden via steps and an opening flanked by ashlar piers with moulded caps, topped by ornamental lead urns. Ornamental iron gates are present. A similar opening exists between The Corona and the northeast garden, where the piers are capped by stone lions. A stone wall connects the two outer gardens to the southeast, incorporating two four-centred archways with a niche between them. The northeast garden features a circular pool with a central stone fountain. A stone balustrade separates this pool from the hall. A round-headed opening, moulded and flanked by niches housing lead statues, is incorporated into the southeast wall. In the rear, northeast wall, an opening is flanked by ashlar piers with moulded caps surmounted by eagles, accompanied by ornamental iron gates. The entire ensemble represents a good example of late 19th-century garden structures and layout.