Statement of significance

Overview

An unusual shaped 18th century multi-walled garden with an irregular shaped ‘slip’ on the east side.  The garden has significant agricultural history, but is not being cultivated at present and the glasshouses are dilapidated.  

Architectural Interest

There is evidence that a dwelling has been on the site since Saxon times but there have been many changes and additions over time.  Much of the house and surrounding buildings are Grade II listed: the East Wing is partly 16th century, whereas the stables, barns and causeway are 18th century.  The medieval coffin set in the ground near the lake may have been part of the ‘folly’ that incorporated pieces of the demolished old church of Nuneham Courtenay.  The dovecote, also Grade II, visible from the east gate of the walled garden is mid/late 18th century (despite displaying false date stones).  The Grade II listed church dates to the 12th century and lies to the north east of the house.  The walled garden is Grade II listed and dates to the 18th century. 

Historic interest

The village of Marsh Baldon can boast two interesting figures, both of whom lived at Baldon House.  Firstly, Elizabeth Lane, who started a school in 1712 for ‘6 poor boys and 6 poor girls’ and left a legacy to ensure its continuation and secondly Sir Christopher Willoughby (1748 – 1808,) known as the ‘agriculturist’ (British History Online: Marsh Baldon).  His agricultural endeavours and theories were to create better farming practices.  Unlike many gentlemen he managed his own estate and was completely involved with it’s cultivation.  From less than 400 acres he aimed to produce food for 30 people for a year, including meat, fish, butter, milk and cheese and he grew wheat, oats, and hops for beer.  He was also an innovator and experimentalist trying various manures, experimenting with drilling wheat, ploughing, harrowing and growing swedes, which were more nourishing for cattle, rather than the more common turnips.  He was praised by Arthur Young (1813) for his fishponds which gave him “carp of three to six pounds, tench of one pound and perch from a half to two pounds… to be had whenever he wants them”.  There can be no doubt that it was Willoughby who landscaped the garden at Baldon House, including ploughing up the lawn and creating a ha-ha as well as planting the orchards and managing the walled garden. Both the school and Sir Christopher’s energy helped to make Marsh Baldon a more self sufficient village than similar sized ones, having a tailor, a slaughterhouse, a currier, a maltster, a sawyer, a carpenter, a blacksmith, a baker, a wheelwright and two inns.  

Historic development

Marsh Baldon and Toot Baldon were jointly referred to in the Doomesday book as Baldeens.     The first map to indicate separate villages is the 1676 map of Michael Burghers and Robert Plot.  A house of some significance is marked at Marsh Baldon on the present site.  By the Robert Morden map of 1695 both house and the church are drawn and seventy years later Thomas Jefferys indicates the extent of the grounds around the house. The Richard Davis map (1793-1794 Sheet number XI), clearly marks a large pond and trees planted to the west of the house. (The above maps available online at The Oxford History Centre).

Although Willoughby was praised by Arthur Young (1813 p. 220) for his 10 acre orchard planted 70 years previously, which produced ’29 hogheads of juice’ in 1806, it has not been possible to source a map indicating the site of the orchards before the 1st edn OS map of 1879.  This does however show the detail of five glasshouses at the north of the garden, viz Glasshouses 1, 2, 3 and 4 plus an additional one south of Glasshouse 2. The 1899 OS map shows Glasshouses 1 and 2 joining, and Glasshouse 3 is present. In a sales catalogue of 1914 the ‘Excellent Kitchen Garden’ includes a Vinery, Carnation House, Cold Frames, Potting Shed and Furnace House’. The shed and outhouse are present in all the OS maps.

Site Description

Location, Area, Boundaries, Landform Settings

The walled garden lies 30m due east of the house, close to barns, stables, a dovecote and other outbuildings which lie to the north. There is a ha-ha close-by to the south. There is an irregular shaped slip joining the east wall of the walled garden. Geologically the whole property lies on sandstone bedrock, with clay, silt, sand and gravel for superficial deposits.

The area of the walled garden is 1900 m2 (0.5 acre); the slip is 650 m2 (0.1 acre); the total is 2550 m2 (0.6 acre). The dimensions (measured from 2015 OS map) are: longest dimension, north-west to south-east is 77m; dimension across i.e. north north-east to south-west is 45m. 

Entries and approaches

There are three gates to the garden, one each on the east, west and north walls. All of these gates are single person sized only, allowing a water carrier or a large wheelbarrow through but not a substantial modern vehicle. The 1879 1st edn OS map shows perimeter paths, with exits at the north and east gates, and probably at the west gate (the map detail is poor). Paths also run due north-south and east-west across the centre. The slip has perimeter paths and a glasshouse in the centre, no longer extant.

Principal buildings

The 1879 1st edn OS map shows a small shed at the north-west corner (between the west wall and north-west wall), built into and extending slightly beyond the walls. This is a brick built shed, currently housing a lawnmower. Just to the north of the east gate outside the wall is a brick-built outhouse. The shed and outhouse are still in place today, although dilapidated.

Walls

The garden walls are constructed of brick apart from some footings and the external north wall which is limestone.

East wall

The south end of this wall has been rebuilt to a height of 1.10m, with modern flat concrete copings. The original height of this wall at the south end near where it joins the west wall is 2.47m at the corner. There are nail holes for attaching plants in the mortar rather than in the bricks. There is a gate towards the north end (see later). On the outer side of the north end of the wall there is a brick-built storage outbuilding, which is visible over the top of this part of the east wall. The copings at the north-east end of the wall (north of the gate) appear to be older, perhaps original, stone copings. There are a few iron rods at the top here, probable plant ties, which extend at 90 degrees into the garden. Length of wall is 56m.

South wall 

The orientation of the south wall is north-west to south-east, joining in line with the south wall of the slip, where the height is 2.47m at the corner.  The lowest 0.1–0.2m, where visible, is formed of small stone slabs or rubble. Copings are flat concrete slabs. There is a slight kink in the wall half-way along. Nail holes are in the mortar and the brickwork, some with traces of leather ‘shreds’ for tying in branches, with less nail holes at the north end of this wall. Length of wall is 51m (with slight kink at 25m).

West wall

This joins to the south wall with a gentle curve. The concrete copings are the same. There are areas of concentrations of (plant tie) holes in the bricks but no nails are visible. There is a gate towards the north end (see later), which is the closest to the house. Length of wall is 30.5m to the shed (32m to wall corner).

North Wall

This is made up of three lengths of walls. The north-west component runs 20m east from a shed at the very north-west of the garden (or 24m to the wall corner). The brick shed is built into the very north-west corner of the walls and projects beyond the wall. The base of the wall on the internal side comprises about half a metre height of stone rubble. There is a gate (see later) through to the barns and other outbuildings. The north-east section of the north wall, length 17m, also has a stone rubble base on the inside.  There is much vegetation against this part of the wall. The shortest part of the north wall, length 4m, lies north-north-east and there is a gentle curve where it joins the east wall. This section is also fronted with vegetation.     

The external walls to the north are constructed of limestone with a stepped rubble coping, which are only visible through one of the external barns, and noted in the description of the Listing Designation (List Entry No. 1193161).

Gates

East gate   

The entrance is arched; the sides of the aperture are recessed, possibly due to vehicle use or damage to the side bricks. On both sides of the inner wall there is a buttress that appears to be of more recent construction. Height of arch 2.34m; upper width of aperture 0.65m; lower width of aperture 1.08m. Buttresses: height 2.26m, with 13 stepped bricks; depth 0.6m; width 0.59m.

West gate

This gate has an infilled brick arch. It lies towards the shed at the north-west corner. The latch is old (see below), and the wall by the closure has been ‘worn’ away or repaired. The 1879 OS map suggests that the east-west footpath led between the east and the west gates. Width 1.21m; height to lintel 1.93m; height to arch 0.28m, thus total height 2.21m.

The latch on the door may be late 17th century and could have come from the removed church at Nuneham Courtenay.  Although neither the back-plate or the original bar remain, the saltire cross or ‘butterfly mark’ at the end of the latch indicates its possible age and purpose.  The cross represents christianity and the two bars are barricades.  Doorways were regarded as an area of danger in the 1600-1700s so the cross would be placed between the jambs of a door or window, blocking the path of any evil spirits.  

North gate

This lies on the north-west wall near the east side of the shed at the north-west corner.  There is a buttress on both inner sides. The wall by the closure has been ‘worn’ away or repaired; the latch is old. Width 1.23m; height to arch 1.92m.

Glasshouses & Frames

Diagram of the positions of the glasshouses and buildings © Vanessa Fell

Glasshouse 1

This is to the south of the north-west wall, as shown on the OS 1879 map. The entrance is at the west end and appears to be into a sunken square, with steps down into the glasshouse. Only the lower rows of the brick walls survive. It has a waist-height narrow (0.46m) raised bed on the south side and a wide (1.27m) ground level bed on the north side. (The raised bed may have been where the carnations were grown, as referred to in the 1914 sales catalogue above). The floor comprises Victorian possible quarry tiles. A large heating pipe is extant at the east end above the border; here there is a separate small area where there was probably a furnace, and a small water tank is visible. Length 8.40m (external); width 3.36m (external).

Glasshouse 2

Aligned with Glasshouse 1, lying to the south of the junction of the north-west and north-east walls. This glasshouse has no beds at the edges but holds two heating pipes.  At the east end is another small bricked area possibly a stove pit.  Length 6.70m inc. doorway; width 1.77m (internal).

Glasshouse 3

A possible melon house or cucumber frame owing to the angled white markings on the wall behind. It is set right up to the north-east wall, about halfway along that wall, with a broad floor that looks modern (so not measured). The 1879 OS map shows it against the wall. White markings suggest the frame may have been c. 1.40m high and the width of the angled line (ie length of frame slope) is 6.10m. Thus, the height is about half of the north-east wall height. The upper part of this wall, amongst the abundant vegetation comprising mainly ivy, is also partly white but not as concentrated as the line at 1.40m.  

Glasshouse 4

This is set to the south-east of Glasshouse 3, about where the main wall angle changes from north-east to north-north-east. It is a possible cold-frame, perhaps relatively new because the bricks look reset. Possibly it is rebuilt from an original one (shown on 1879 map). External width 1.80m; external length 3.39m.

Between Glasshouses 2 and 4, and in front of 3, is a modern-looking concrete-edged square base.  This may be the base of a modern glasshouse whose metal uprights are now placed against the east wall.

View of the north wall with lime wash evidence of a large frame © Vanessa Fell

Other land

The ‘slip’

Attached to the east wall of the garden and currently accessed via the east gate is a narrow almost rectangular area of land, orientated north to south adjacent to the east wall of the walled garden. At the north end is a derelict outbuilding. Max dimensions are: length (north to south) 58m; width 12m; area 650 m2 (0.1 acre). The 1st edn OS map 1879 shows a perimeter footpath around most of the area towards the south and also a glasshouse or frame approximately in the centre. Later OS maps do not show these features. There are remnants of the walling (stone outer, brick inner) that formed part of the central length of the outer (east) wall. The area is included in the Listing at Grade II for the walled garden where it is described as: ‘extending at south-east corner to part of a former second garden’. It remains uncertain if this was a slip or part of another attached garden.  (When we visited the slip was occupied by two Kunekune pigs and a pony).  

Vegetation

Trees within the garden are a tall mature Western Cedar near the north gate, four northern red oaks near the centre of the south wall together with a large mature hazel and five silver birches grouped together at the west end of the garden (two of which are more mature to the north plus three younger ones to the south). In the south corner are more hazel trees of various sizes, plus a yew and a cherry. To the north of the east gate is a wild plum tree and adjacent to the gate is an old rose. On both sides of the shed at the north-west corner there is a fig. An old grapevine is planted on the outside of the south side of glasshouse 1; this was vigorious and is now surviving by growing towards the east end of the glasshouse. In the centre of the ‘slip’ there is an Atlas Cedar. The 1879 OS map shows the east wall has a row of bushes/trees to the west of the east path.

The north-east section of the garden has been recently mowed. Other areas have been attended to less recently including the centre of the garden where there is some evidence of flower beds that were planted relatively recently.

The two Kunekune pigs in the slip © Felix Lam

Ownership and Access:

Private

Name of District:

South Oxfordshire DC

Grid Reference:

SU 5620 9902

Sources of Information:

Historic England: Search the National Heritage List for England: BaldonHouse
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/results/?q=Baldon House&size=n_24_n

British History online: Marsh Baldon
https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/oxon/vol5/pp30-47

Oxfordshire Historic Environment Record
https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MOX16957&resourceID=1033

Sales catalogue, 1914, The Baldon House Estate, to be sold by Collins and Collins, Clarendon Hotel, 8th July 1914.  In mano the owners of Baldon House.

Young, Arthur (1813) General view of the agriculture of Oxfordshire. Drawn up for the consideration of the Board of Agriculture and Internal Improvement. By the secretary of the board.  Printed for Sherwood, Neely and Jones
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433006512333&seq=11

Hall, L, (2005) Period House Fixtures & Fittings 1300 – 1900, Countryside Books, Newbury, Berkshire

Maps

National Library of Scotland: Ordnance Survey Maps
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/find/marker/#zoom=5&lat=56.0000&lon=-4.0000&f=1&z=1&marker=56.0,-4.0&from=1450&to=2000

Oxford History Centre – County Maps of Oxfordshire and Berkshire
https://www.oxfordshirehistory.org.uk/public/maps/county_maps.htm

Geological Map Data: BGS UKRI 2026: Digimap [Online]. Available at http://digimap.edina.ac.uk/roam/map/geology (accessed 25 April 2026).

Acknowledgements
Many thanks to the owners of Baldon House for their generous help to enable us to complete this research.

Vanessa Fell, Felix Lam, August 2026