Terrace Gardens

Terrace Gardens, completed in 1864 to designs by W.B. Thomas for the 3rd Marquis of Northampton, are situated to the east and north of Castle Ashby, between the house and the park. The construction used brick, limestone, and terracotta from Blashfield’s workshop, with supervision by Sir Matthew Digby Wyatt. The gardens comprise four linked terraces. The terracotta balustrades, approximately 1.5 metres high, incorporate continuous lettering matching the house’s parapets. The inscriptions read: "THE GRASS WITHERETH AND THE FLOWER FADETH BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURETH FOR EVER," then "CONSIDER THE LILIES OF THE FIELD HOW THEY GROW THEY TOIL NOT NEITHER DO THEY SPIN AND YET I SAY UNTO YOU THAT SOLOMON IN ALL HIS GLORY WAS NOT ARRAYED LIKE ONE OF THESE." They conclude with a Latin dedicatory inscription, translating to "To Theodosia, sweetest of wives, Charles Douglas Northampton erected this, begun in hope, finished in despair 1865," commemorating the death of the 3rd Marchioness in November 1864. The balustrades are punctuated by piers supporting urns, with taller, more elaborate piers every three or four bays featuring volutes, garlands, and garlanded urns. A "bastion" at the north-east outer corner includes an ornamental terracotta well and a wrought-iron well-head. Flights of steps connect the terraces and lead down to the park. Limestone piers and wrought-iron gates stand at the north end of the outer terrace, at the foot of a walk leading from the water tower. These piers feature moulded plinths and cornices, pineapple finials, and tapering plinths. The gardens originally featured elaborate "parterres de broderie." A large central ornamental terracotta urn sits on the north-east terrace. The middle terrace to the east of the house contains a pair of terracotta fountains, while the lower terrace to the east features a formal pond containing a terracotta kerb and a large marble tazza fountain bowl.