Gibside Estate, Walled Garden

The walled garden was moved from a position near Gibside House to a site some 500 yards to the south-west of it. It became customary to have the kitchen garden some distance from the house due to the smells of night soil and manure. Work began in 1734. A basin was made in one corner, there were hot beds and espaliards round the walls. Work was complete in 1736}. Garden wall. Third quarter of C18. Brick with sandstone ashlar dressings.
High wall with flat stone coping surrounds garden. Double-keystoned
lintel and stone jambs to boarded door in south elevation. (Altered). A programme of archaeological monitoring and recording by NCAS in 2013 was undertaken at the Walled Garden. A variety of features were recorded, principally planting plate for the 18th century and later orchard. In the northern part of the garden the planting plates were, with one exception, c.2m square and formed of re-used square or rectangular sandstone flags of various sizes lying at a depth of between 0.67-0.55m bgl. To the south there were variations to this regular pattern. In this area, stone-flagged planting plates were edged with hand-made red brick. The planting plates were arranged in two rows, one on either side of the central garden path, and correspond closely to tree positions swhon on the 1857 OS plan. Circular red brick planting plates were located in the southern part of the garden representing a secondary phase of planting.

Evidential Value- Built fabric of walls, some archaeological potential
Historical Value- The illustrative historic significances of the walled garden mainly relate to the history of the Bowes family and the gradual evolution of Gibside. The garden also sits in the context of other similar walled gardens, and is a relatively early, though unsophisticated and not exceptionally well-preserved, example of its type.
Aesthetic Value - The zoning of the walled garden area, including its designation within a Registered Park and Garden, highlights its high potential for Aesthetic value. See Heritage Impact Assessment for more detail.