Monument record MSF44075 - Early 18th century Walled Kitchen Garden, Ickworth

Early 18th century walled kitchen garden. Main enclosing wall survives intact. Original subdivisions are still visible on LIDAR. The main wall is Listed, as is the ruin of a Summer House of similar date.

KITCHEN GARDEN The walled kitchen garden (listed grade II) is situated 500m south-west of Ickworth House on the north bank of the River Linnet. It is enclosed on three sides and open to The Canal on the south side. Within the kitchen garden lie a further two walled enclosures also open to the water, once used as a vineyard. Sir John Hervey's three-bay, single-storey Summerhouse (listed grade II) built in 1703 is situated in the centre of the main garden. It is of red brick with moulded cornice and a parapet which hides a flat roof and it faces south, overlooking The Canal. The Summerhouse is said to have stood in the grounds of the old manor house and was retained as a feature within the kitchen garden (Ickworth Estate, pers comm). To either side are brick walls which return southwards to form one of the inner enclosures. The spaces between these inner enclosures form openings from the body of the garden to The Canal and are said to have been built to draw frost away from the fruit trees onto the surface of the water (Ickworth Estate, pers comm). All the walls are early C18 red brick with C19 concrete copings.