Monument record ARW 054 - Erwarton Hall

Erwarton Hall is a 16th century red brick hall said to have been rebuilt in circa 1575 by Sir Philip Parker and partly reconstructed 1858 with later alterations and additions. The gatehouse is dated by Pevsner for heraldric reasons to circa 1549. (S1) Tom Williamson in his book entitled 'Suffolk's Gardens and Parks' states how "a map of the 'Estate of the Rt. Hon. Lady Dowager Chedworth' in Erwarton, made in 1770 (S2), shows the house. . . . approached by an avenue, and with fishponds and dovehouse in close proximity (some of these features, including the magnificent sixteenth-century brick entrance gateway and lines of imposing sweet chestnuts, still survive today). To the south-east the 'Paddock', covering around five hectares, is predominately marked, bordered by double lines of trees." (S3) The remains of the fishponds or ornamental ponds shown on (S2) and described in (S3) are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs taken from the 1940s onwards, centred on TM 22313489 to the south of Erwarton Hall. The earthworks consist of one pond measuring 36m by 11m, centred on TM 22293487, and a number of banks which when compared to (S2) could be interpreted as earthwork revetting and dams for the ornamental pond and lake system. (S4-S7) There have been a number of changes in the area and it is not clear from later photographs whether any of these earthworks survive. (S8)