Steps And Terrace Walls Around Tennis Lawn South West Of Wood House

The steps and terrace walls around the tennis lawn, located south-west of Wood House, were designed by Thomas Mawson between 1899 and 1905. They feature plain granite steps and low granite rubble walls that are crafted to resemble crazy paving, topped with flat-topped granite ashlar coping. There is also a granite ashlar seat. The tennis lawn is terraced into the hillside and faces north-east. Most of the surrounding banks are made of earth and topped with low box yew hedges, while the bottom bank, adjacent to the forecourt, and the right bank, overlooking the rear service drive, are reinforced with granite walls. From the centre of the forecourt, referred to by Mawson as the carriage court, a flight of stone steps ascends to the first short terrace, which begins the granite path around the tennis lawn. Additional plain stone steps lead up to all the terraces, and at the north-western end of the top terrace, there is a round-backed stone seat. These features are part of a larger landscaping scheme that Mawson designed to complement the rebuilding of Wood House, which he regarded as one of his major achievements.