Cholmondeley Castle Temple Garden
Photo © Peter Craine, 8 October 2006
Cholmondeley Castle, Cheshire
Photo © Peter Craine, 8 October 2006
Cholmondeley Castle Gatehouse
Photo © Peter Craine, 8 October 2006
Cholmondeley Castle Temple Garden Photo © Peter Craine, 8 October 2006 |
Cholmondeley Castle, Cheshire Photo © Peter Craine, 8 October 2006 |
Cholmondeley Castle Gatehouse Photo © Peter Craine, 8 October 2006 |
Cholmondeley is pronounced 'chum-ley'. The interior is not open to the public, but the beautiful gardens are open April to September and also on event days and occasional days. There is an admission charge.
Cholmondeley Castle (pronounced Chumly) is a mansion house in the civil parish of Cholmondeley, Cheshire, England. It is a Grade II listed building.
The present house was built between 1801 and 1804 by George Cholmondeley, 1st Marquess of Cholmondeley. It was designed by the local architect William Turner who was directed by the Marquess to give it the appearance of "an old Gothic Castle". In 1817–19 Robert Smirke added turrets and towers to give it its present castle-like appearance. An earlier house had been on the site dating from 1571. This was constructed of brick and half-timber and had been remodelled by Sir John Vanbrugh between 1713 and 1715.
Gardens and grounds
In the 18th century Hugh Cholmondeley, 1st Earl of Cholmondeley had created gardens around the house, both kitchen gardens and orchards to provide food for the household, and also pleasure gardens. The pleasure gardens would have been formal in style as they were laid out by George London. The ironworker Jean Tijou produced an iron entrance gate to the gardens, but this was moved to Houghton Hall in Norfolk by the 4th Earl. John van Nost designed a fountain for the garden. The garden also contained a bowling green and an aviary. The 4th Earl brought in William Emes to redesign the garden who, according to the fashion of the day, buried London's work under a landscape park. The 4th Earl also employed John Webb, a student of Emes, who probably designed the terrace around the house. Around this time the Temple Garden was created for the Earl's first daughter, later Lady Charlotte Seymour. During the 20th century, Lavinia Cholmondeley, wife of the 6th Marquess, has played a large part in restoring and developing the gardens.
The grounds of the castle now cover some 5,000 acres (20 km2) and include two lakes. They are included in the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England at Grade II. Also in the grounds is the ancient chapel of St Nicholas.