The GASCOIGNES of PARLINGTON HALL II

The GASCOIGNES of PARLINGTON HALL, Aberford, West Yorkshire II Parlington Hall:: Estate Features: Triumphal Arch

The Triumphal Arch: The lasting memorial of the Parlington Estate

The oldest known photographs of the arch [1 of 2], circa 1860, at that time the structure was approximately 70 years old, it is now more than 220 years old! [2008]. The view is looking east towards Aberford and the driveway passes through the centre of the arch. Over the years I have been asked on numerous occasions whether the two oval indentations on each face have ever had some form of moulding or decoration, I think this photo answers that question, it was always like it is today! However it has most certainly deteriorated over the years and whilst this picture is rather lacking in detail it does look as if all the cornices and mouldings are very precise, whereas nowadays much of them particularly at the base are heavily weathered.

Why? When? Where?

Everyone who knows Parlington is fond of the old arch, but it raises many questions, why was it built? Did the Prince Regent reject the luncheon appointment at Parlington because of the inscription? What was its purpose? Why commemorate the American victory in the war of Independence?

The monument is situated to the north of the site of the hall at the end of a delightful beech lined avenue. Sir Thomas Gascoigne had the Arch erected around the late eighteenth century.

It is believed locally that the arch was to be the entrance to a new house, but as my notes observe this is unlikely.

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The Inscription The archives in Leeds have a document attributed to Sir Thomas Gascoigne giving his original inscription for the arch, as follows, To that virtue which for a series of years resisted oppression and by a glorious race rescued its country and millions from slavery, this was too lengthy for the available space and was edited to the inscription you see today. Liberty in N.America Triumphant MDCCLXXXIII and is repeated on both elevations.

The Arch is said to be a copy of the Arch Titus in Rome, this is from the Rev. F.S.Colman book mentioned earlier, I rather suspect that the Reverend had not been to Rome, or if he had he had confused the Arch to Titus with the Arch to Constantine, as the latter is structurally similar.

The Arch to Titus, Rome

A recent visit to Rome gives me some confidence that if the arch was based on an ancient monument it looks more likely that the arch below commemorating Constantine, adjacent to the Colosseum in Rome, although much more elaborate, seems to be a better fit, than the Titus Arch.

The Arch to Constantine, Rome

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The Triumphal Arch, The lasting memorial of the Parlington Estate

The oldest known photograph of the arch [2 of 2], circa 1860. The view is looking east towards Aberford and the driveway passes through the centre of the arch.

The Photographers Assistant!

Was this individual sitting on the cornice at the foot of the arch, assisting the photographer?

The house that was being planned is referred to in the book by Rev Colman, as Atkinson's Plan and this provides a date of 1778, when a letter from a friend in York wrote with these details to Sir Thomas who was on his grand tour in Rome. Additionally, the writer stated I returned yesterday from Parlington, I saw there pyramids of very fine stone which I understand were designed to build a house for Sir Thomas Gascoigne's son.

Recent photo of the Arch, from the woods

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So did the Prince Regent reject the luncheon appointment at Parlington because of the inscription? Having considered the other points on the previous page, we return to the rumour that the Prince Regent [Later George IV] was so irritated by the inscription that he and his entourage turned away and continued to Hazlewood Castle. We'll never know!

The Beech Tree Lined Drive

The drive with the Triumphal Arch in the distance, is today the main access to the Parlington Estate, it enters the land off Cattle Lane, the Aberford to Barwick in Elmet road, directly opposite Pike Lodge the former Estates Office

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The Dark Arch, The Spooky Bit of the Parlington Estate

Ok! it's not really frightening, it's just that many people choose to avoid passing through the 'Arch' and use the sunk fence (ha-ha) between the arch and the former deer park. Which is to the right of the arch in the photo.

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Ha Ha or Sunk Fence, Route of the Railway.

The Dark arch was built between 1813-14 during the time of Richard Oliver Gascoigne. The level of the roadway through the tunnel is lower than the naturally occurring ground, which was probably the level of the adjacent sunk fence. However in classic Civil Engineering style the roadway was fashioned by using cut and fill principles. That being the amount excavated equalling the amount filled, in approximate terms, in this instance the garden area being the fill on the north side of the tunnel.

Excavation Method for Tunnel

The picture above demonstrates roughly how it would have been constructed, the white dotted line being the approximate line of the ground prior to 1813 and the area in brown being excavated [Cut] and the area in grey being filled.

The Gascoignes would have had access to many capable workers both from the pit's they owned in Garforth and the many estate workers, their labours have produced a lasting memorial to what can be achieved with a pick, shovel and hard graft! Sadly the many miles of tunnels the mine workers hewed from the ground beneath in pursuit of 'Black Gold' will never be observed by today's generation, so it is fitting to consider their efforts in this endeavour, which will last for many years beyond the coal pits which have been hurriedly levelled. For those who are unaware of pit life and the sometime horrors which visited workers read this Death of a local miner at the Peckfield mine in nearby Micklefield. Not a Gascoigne mine but serious enough to warrant a visit by Colonel Gascoigne.

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The Tunnel is curved on plan and incorporates four air grates which are found in the surface of the garden. It is approximately 90 metres in length, and has a drainage system running along the length of the south wall which discharges downstream into the river Crow to the east of the tunnel, The crow connects the two lakes and traverses the gardens of Parlington Hall before running roughly parallel to Parlington Lane down to Aberford.

The tunnel is constructed of stone and is formed in three distinct sections. It has survived into the twenty first century and should be cared for, sadly people keep 'nicking' the stonework from the walls and general pieces of structure around, probably unaware of the efforts of their ancestors in striving to build this structure.

The Dark Arch, Inside

Where Did the Train Go!

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A similar train to the Manning Wardle Empress can be seen at the York Railway Museum Most people believe the tunnel was the route of the train, this is completely wrong, the tunnel pre-dated the train, by almost 60 years, and pre-dated the forerunner of the train, the horse drawn wagonway by around 20 years. At the time the tunnel was being constructed, coal wagons and for that matter any other traffic would have been horse drawn.

The tunnel allowed traffic along Parlington Lane to pass without disturbing the lifestyle of the Gascoigne family, no doubt the roadway and stonework would have been kept in first rate condition, sadly today the whole area is overgrown and much work is needed to maintain the walls of the estate. It is rumoured that during the period of Colonel Frederick Gascoigne, after 1850, a game of cricket being played on the lawns was disrupted, when the Colonels 'Whites' were spoiled by soot! The train driver was required to report to the Hall to explain!

The Colonel is reputed to have given him a severe reprimand! How times change!

This invoice which is signed at the foot by John Heaton to receipt his being paid, it was to the account of Gaforth Colliery and was at the former Coal Staith (Depot) Offices at the end of Parlington Lane, the property still stands and these paper artefacts, were discovered in the roof space some years ago, mostly nibbled by rodents! Nathan Lock an employee of John Heaton was working for ½ a day on 19th June 1858, whitewashing at the Depot House, (it's still whitewashed to this day).

John Heaton was Colouring the office and repairing fireplaces and of particular interest is that on 28 September John Heaton and a labourer spent ½ a day repairing the Dark Arch wall!

THE LIGHT ARCH

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The so called Light Arch presumably takes it's name in contrast to the tunnel lying some distance to the west on Parlington Lane, which is locally called The Dark Arch, the road bridge was built to take traffic from the Hook Moor entrance on the Old Great North Road [Formally the A1, itself now superceded by the By-Pass which runs to the east of Aberford.]

Parlington Estate:: The Gardens House

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The best remaining example of the houses on the estate which formed an integral part of Parlington.

NOT THE GARDENER'S HOUSE? The Gardens House is so named because it overlooks the gardens which reached south towards the main entrance to the Hall. The map of 1908 shows the pathways which were laid out in a rectangular pattern within the brick walled garden. The central pathway leads from the fountain directly in line with the main entrance of the Hall, halfway along the path is a sun dial (no longer in existence) The hatched areas on the plan are glass houses and at this time the entire garden was walled, today the south wall is no longer standing.

Local belief has it that the house was the head gardeners residence, this presumably arises from the name Gardens House leading people to believe that it was indeed the residence of the head gardener. Although in these more enlightened times it may well be the sort of residence a celebrity garden presenter would have. Whilst the head gardener may have been very much a treasured asset, would he have been given the opportunity to reside in such surroundings? Well, recent research into the census records reveals that in 1841 a Martin Habbersham aged 35 and his wife lived at the Gardens House and his occupation was described as a Gardener!

Additionally, three other people were noted as living in the Garden Rooms at that time, presumably the collection of single storey buildings that form the northern face of the enclosing garden wall. On the right of the picture above. The house is believed to date from the eighteenth century, it is certainly a fine Georgian example and is listed Grade Two. It has many features which are symmetrical, in the classic Georgian style.

THE LOWER END OF THE GARDEN

The lower end of the former gardens to the house, with the high brick boundary wall in the distance.

A HYPOTHESIS BY THE AUTHOR Sir Thomas Gascoigne inherited the estate upon the death of his elder brother Edward who died in 1762 at the young age of 19; he in turn had inherited in 1750 from their father Sir Edward

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Gascoigne. Sir Edward is noted for having made many alterations and extensions to Parlington, his diaries carry notes on much of the works undertaken during his stewardship.

But I doubt he had the Gardens House built.

However, the young Sir Thomas who was instrumental in establishing Home Farm following his return in 1779 from his grand tour of Europe and was very interested in making use of the most up to date technology in his farming endeavours. The Gardens House is built of brick as is Home Farm, the fashionable material of the day, it heads the garden area with glasshouses and formal beds, which could well have been the source of many horticultural initiatives, as Sir Thomas was noted as a keen agriculturist.

The house is similar in many aspects to the stable wing of the older Parlington Hall, but more research is necessary to draw definite conclusions. I believe the Gardens House to have been undertaken at the behest of Sir Thomas Gascoigne. It has been suggested that it was a Dower House, but Sir Thomas's mother the only candidate for this position had died in 1764, and in any event although bequeathed the use of Parlington during her life, following the death of her husband, Lady Gascoigne had remarried to a Jarrard Strickland and thus forfeited this benefit.

If the house was not built as a Dower House could it have been built to accommodate the changed circumstances of the Gascoigne line, Sir Thomas's wife died in 1784 just a month after the birth of their son. However as the step father of Mary Turner the child born out of his wife's first marriage to the Late Sir Charles Turner. He may have considered some requirement for her separate from the main family line. This of course changed in 1809 when Sir Thomas's son and heir died in a riding accident.

Mary had married Richard Oliver on 3rd May 1804 by special licence at Parlington, is this a clue? In that, whereas you might expect Mary to marry and then live at her husband’s home, they may have continued to live on the estate during the years prior to the death of Sir Thomas, perhaps in the Gardens House? Coincidentally Mary was probably born in 1782 and was therefore only 2 years older than her step brother, Tom Gascoigne.

THE RACQUETTES COURT?

Adjacent to the walled gardens surrounding the Gardens House is a rectangular structure, partly stone and brick. The brick areas have been rendered and parts still remain. The stone however is coursed and faced [Ashlar] and the masonry pieces are extremely large.

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When built it would have provided a very smooth surface. It is believed to be a court for some kind of game such as racquettes. Today it is hard to find, lost as it is amongst the brambles which are in excess of 6' 0" high in the summer months.

Parlington Hall in the late Nineteenth century. Taken from a photograph provided by the Garforth Historical Society.

THE ESTATE OUTLYING FARMS AND HOUSES Like all significant landed holdings, The Gascoignes from their Parlington seat, had a collection of land and property which, served various purposes in the day to day running of the estate. The land was either put to agriculture or beneath the surface to coal mining.

The properties owned by the family could be split into the following categories: family houses, agricultural farms, management houses, estate and mining workers houses.

[Correction, details here stated two major sales, this was incorrect, my apologies, there were 4]. Much of the land and property held by the Gascoigne family was sold in a series of sales during the twentieth century; the first in May 1911, second in June 1938, third in October 1964 and a final sale in December 1973. The first sale in 1911 was for 14 lots, amongst them lot 14 described as follows: 'The famous and beautiful Boston Spa Baths and Saline Spring and Well Timbered Pleasure Grounds, together with boating and valuable extensive fishing rights in and upon the River Wharfe.' The second followed the death in 1937 of Col. F. R. T. T. Gascoigne, which was the largest of the sales. The 1964 sale saw the core properties including the Parlington Estate being sold off, probably in an effort to reduce death duties as Sir Alvary Gascoigne was aged around 71 at the time and the particulars of sale indicate that the lots to be auctioned were by direction of Mrs Y. StuddTrench-Gascoigne, daughter and only living child of Sir Alvery Gascoigne. The final sale in December 1973 released all the remaining assets, Lotherton Hall and its contents having been bequeathed to Leeds City Council by Sir Alvery Gascoigne in the late sixties.

THE SALES PARTICULARS FOR 1938 & 1964 THE FARM SALES (1938) The following farms were sold at auction on June 1st 1938: Church Farm, Saxton; Plough Farm, Saxton; Home Farm, Sherburn in Elmet; Hall Garth Farm, Sherburn in Elmet; Dairy Farm, Whinmoor;

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Scholes Park Farm, Lazencroft Farm, Shippen House Farm, Upper Barnbow Farm, Birdholme Farm, Garforth; Peckfield Farm, Sturton Grange Farm, Ridge Road Farm, Aberford; Church Farm, Garforth; in all amounting to 2437 Acres, plus various enclosures and fields. An example of the sale proceeds was the Dairy Farm at Whinmoor, 105.78 acres sold for ÂŁ3,850 [ÂŁ36.39 per acre] THE FARM SALES (1964) The following farms were sold at auction on October 2nd 1964: Park House Farm, South Lodge Farm, Leyfield Farm, Home Farm, Manor Farm, Throstle Nest Farm, Swan (Mill) Farm, all in Aberford. Amounting to some 1512 acres.

SOUTH LODGE FARM

Interestingly, South Lodge Farm was sold in the early twenty first century and most of the farm outbuildings were removed to provide for a new housing development, which bears the name Beckside. So South Lodge has passed into history to be replaced by the rather bland title of Beckside. However the small stream which passes through the development is known as the Crow River, which originates up the valley at Parlington, not on Hookmoor as noted by others View details in a pop-up window. South Lodge was a working farm until the end of the 1980's and had been for a very long time. The farmhouse looks to be early Georgian in style, which would make it eighteenth century.

SOUTH LODGE FARM DURING DEVELOPMENT

View looking north towards the Methodist Church on the horizon, the former barns at the rear of The Farm House run from the right edge of the picture to the centre.

The river crow is in the foreground beneath the roadway, with the bridge parapet on the left. (Excuse the photograph! I'll get another soon.)

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RECENT FINDS AT SOUTH LODGE FARM In the summer of 2005 human remains were found in the rear garden of one of the properties, to the west of the barn, which remains are believed to be from the Roman period. Also in recent years, whilst the barns and the more modern steel buildings on the site were still in use by the local farmer for storage and cattle shelter, a driver of a large articulated lorry delivering agri-chemicals to the farm for storage in the barns was found collapsed by the wall of an old open-ended garage-like structure where, having suffered a heart attack, he had sadly died. I recall it was in August of 1998.

PARLINGTON LANE COTTAGE

A final note on South Lodge Farm. Given its name, where was the South Lodge? Is it possible that the small Georgian House on Parlington Lane, pictured above, which overlooks the lower part of the valley towards the former coal staithes and across to the Methodist chapel to the north, could be South Lodge, and the Aberford Lodge or Pike Lodge by the main northern entrance to the estate off Cattle Lane was the north lodge?

HOOK MOOR NORTH LODGE

The estate entrance at Hook Moor, [on the former A1 and Great North Road], comprises two charming Georgian Lodges; they remain largely unchanged. The roadway which passes between the two lodges traverses the fields and passes behind the Almshouses before descending down the hill to the Light Arch, from there it curves round to the site of the Hall. This roadway was a main access to Parlington until the decline of the estate from the

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beginning of the twentieth century; indeed it was included in the lot in 1964 for the sale of the remains of the old hall.

HOOK MOOR SOUTH LODGE

ASS BRIDGE LODGE Sitting on higher ground above the Barwick Road where it crosses the Cock Beck, this lodge derives its name from the bridge. Local rumour also has it that this area is haunted by a headless rider! The postcard below [a Parkinson & Roy Studios publication] is of the road very near Ass Bridge, as it rises up the hill towards Aberford. Sadly the beautiful treelined aspect is not as it was! Nor is the retaining embankment to the right as well kept as in those earlier times. Some of the estate boundary wrought iron railings are still to be found today.

BARWICK LODGE Barwick Lodge is around the corner from the above view, towards Aberford and is largely concealed by the high estate wall at this entrance. It is a very pleasing building, an irregular octagon on plan, single storey with lead rolls over the hips on the Westmoreland slate roof.

A fine feature are the windows which have unusual diagonal glazing bars.

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FORMER ESTATE OFFICE

The Estate Office featured in the December 1973 auction, the above picture is from the sale catalogue. It remains very similar today, situated on the old A1 (Great North Road) just north of Hicklam House, (Aberford Pine), it is now a private house.

FORMER ESTATE OFFICE TODAY

PIKE LODGE

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Originally an old fishing lodge, later I believe used as the Estate Office before the more recent premises on the A1, noted above, it is unusual featuring four circular chimney stacks one on each corner of the house. It also features a very good Gascoigne crest above the front entrance doorway, a pike's head over a coronet.

The Lodge overlooks the Cock Beck which winds its way to the centre of Aberford.

There is a lot of information on this section which has still to be processed, so check back if you wish to discover more. For example in one of the farms belonging to the estate two of the sons left, never to return from the Great War! Their names can be found on the war memorial opposite the Almshouses.

Parlington Hall:: Features :: Ice House

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Section through the Ice House The details from the old site are slightly misleading, the section was drawn from casual observation as it was not possible to get into the structure, a more exacting look has enabled me to produce a clearer sketch which shows the overall shape more accurately. Although the dimensions are still approximate, it is around 16 feet in diameter at the maximum just below the small square opening and tapers to a reduced diameter at the base.

The likelihood that the base has a series drainage outlets cannot be confirmed because of the debris which is covering the whole area. But from discussions with people who have worked on other ice houses around the country it is clear that some form of drainage must exist to allow melt water to escape.

Trapped in the Ice House A story related to me last year by two local residents from nearby Garforth, told how they and another friend in their youth (1950's), descended into the dark hole down a makeshift rope secured to a tree. But once inside and being influenced by the dungeon like nature of the dark hole they quickly elected to return to the daylight above them; but alas whilst the

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descent was aided by gravity, the ascent a much harder proposition with gravity working very much against them. They tried and tried but could not get back up and out by the rope alone, neither was it any use shouting for help, although they did until the lungs hurt, as the old ice house is hidden in the woods and in any event the sound seemed as trapped as they were in the ground!

Eventually exhausted they managed by climbing on each other’s shoulders to get within sufficient distance of the entrance and also using the rope one reached the outside, he was then able to use the rope to haul out the other two!

THE ICE HOUSE

A newly created 3-D model of the Ice House to provide a clearer indication of its structure and sitting on a natural escarpment to the east of the site of the old hall.

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A section through the structure, also showing parts of the former enclosing building, which presumably kept the contents safe from intruders.

Looking down into the Ice House, the structure is about 16 feet in diameter and around 20 feet deep from the top of the arched roof. Built entirely underground in brick, it is a testament to the ability of long gone builders; the brickwork is exemplary forming a fine egg shaped structure.

This picture is taken from the entrance which is sealed from access by a grill. That, this structure still exists in the woods of Parlington is quite extraordinary, it is hard to imagine this Victorian, or earlier Freezer, being topped up with ice from the nearby lakes to keep the locally butchered meat ready for the table. (Revision: I now believe that the contents

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were not large sides of beef or venison, but the ice itself was used in delicacies and drinks, particularly cooling white wine, to impress visitors and guests! Blocks of ice were cut from ponds or rivers on the estate and transported to the ice house, where they were stacked between layers of straw. Ice preserved in this way could keep for up to three years.)

Further research into the construction and use of subterranean ice house structures indicates that they were a must for country house owners from the Eighteenth Century.

The two Likely candidates for building this impressive structure, well... let's say directing its construction, were Sir Edward Gascoigne or his son who eventually succeeded to the Baronetcy Sir Thomas Gascoigne. If it were Sir Edward then the construction would have been before 1743 when he left England for Cambrai in Northern France, where he died in 1750. Sir Thomas, who was born in Cambrai in March 1745 did not spend his early years in England and is recorded as having settled at Parlington in 1779. He is attributed as setting up the model farm on the estate and therefore may well have included the ice house amongst his developments. It is reasonable to assume therefore that it would have been built in the late eighteenth century. A smaller ice house, now destroyed, was sited near the model farm (Home Farm as it is called).

The Ice House is testimony to the skills of earlier generations in making the most of the natural resources available, aside from the energy in creating the bricks, everything was very environmentally friendly!

OVERHEAD VIEW OF THE ICE HOUSE

IT'S USE In today’s world where the power to fulfil a requirement is available at the touch of an electrical switch, it is hard to imagine the planning and discipline required to maintain an Ice House Fifteen feet of diameter in the Ice House equals 176 cubic feet of freezer space per foot of depth! Awesome! My freezer in total is 12.5 cu feet If you assume that 6 feet of space was used for freezing this equates to 1056 cu feet of freezer space, not an inconsiderable deep freeze!

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Today it is just a man made cavern in the ground, when it was ceased to be used is unknown, presumably after the death of Colonel Gascoigne in 1905. I suspect the contents would have been moved to Lotherton. Sadly no one alive today will be able to tell its story, so we can only imagine how it fitted into the daily lives of the Gascoignes in the nineteenth century and before.

The Folly which sat on an island, in the former lake.

PARLINGTON LAKE AND FOLLY The Parlington Estate boasted a lake which was formed by containing the Cock Beck after it passed beneath the stone bridge on the road between Barwick in Elmet and Garforth. It was drained in the early twentieth century due to fears of the water entering the nearby coal workings.

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PARLINGTON LAKE

Below is an extract from the 'Garforth Observer' circa 1884, kindly provided by the Garforth Historical Society.

THE BOAT HOUSE ON PARLINGTON LAKE

The verse by J. P. H. (Unknown poet) is set out below:

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THE BOAT HOUSE, PARLINGTON PARK. Nestling amid o'er-arching trees The boat-house sleeps; Lulled by the whis'pring of the breeze, That steals like lovers' reveries, Over the lake's calm, crystal deeps!

O! 'tis a lone and tranquil spot, where cowslips dwell; And many a blue forget-me-not, And many a bright and beautiful plot, Of daisy, primrose, and harebell!

Wild hyacinths and woodbine sweet, Bloom all around; It seems a place where fairies meet, And trip the sward with aery feet, While Oberon in sleep is drowned!

And bark! upon the ambient air, Low songs are welling; That tell of joy which we can share When all alone and floating there, Upon the water's silent swelling!

Bright scenes in other lands that smile, I can recall; But Parlington! thy lake and isle; Thy waterfall and ruined pile, To me are brighter than them all!

J. P. H. PARLINGTON LAKE LANDING

The above picture shows what is probably part of the landing which served the Boat House.

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PLAN OF THE FORMER LAKE

THE FOLLY AROUND 1930'S

The Folly stands on a natural outcrop above the Cock Beck, The stonework and window are from the chancel of the old church in Garforth which was replaced by a new building in 1844 by the Architect George Fowler Jones, of Micklegate York.

The Folly photographed in the summer of 2004, much of the stonework has fallen over the years and lies in the bed of the Cock Beck.

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A SKETCH OF PARLINGTON LAKE

The above image is adapted from a photocopy of a Victorian sketch of the lake drawn during the 1840's, Artist unknown.

FOLLY ON THE RIGHT ABOVE THE COCK BECK

The Cock Beck as it winds its way through the area of the former lake. The landing described above is just downstream of the site of the folly. It therefore seems logical to conclude that the Boat House was built to take visitors over to the island were sits the Folly.

THE SITE OF THE FORMER LAKE IN 2006

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The low lying ground around the beck where the lake used to be is very wet and a considerable amount of ground water feeds into the beck as can be seen in the picture below. The water is coming from Parlington Hollins and shows evidence of minerals which may have been mined along with the coal in the bell pits still to be found in the area.

CHINESE DINNER PLATE

The above fragments of porcelain were discovered in the roadway on route to the site of the lake, subsequent visits following heavy rainfall have uncovered further pieces. A larger version of this image can be viewed here. Following the discovery a trip was made to Lotherton Hall to view the collection of Gascoigne porcelain held there, interestingly whilst the pattern on the fragments is clearly traditional Blue and White and not a bespoke design, the porcelain itself appears to be almost identical to that which comprises the Chinese armorial service acquired by Sir Thomas Gascoigne in the 1770's. The gold edging and indents on the perimeter are a direct match for some of the pieces in the collection. Could it have been broken on route to a picnic at the lake?

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WILLOWGARTH PLANTATION LAKES

It seems the Gascoigne's enjoyed water features, there are culverts, artificial lakes, fish ponds etc., dotted around the estate, but perhaps the least known is the Willowgarth Plantation Lakes, small but beautifully set amongst planted ewe trees. Today the lakes number just ONE the remaining two having given way to the continual build up of leaf mould, silt and other vegetable matter over the generations.

The oak tree appears to have grown commensurate with the space available on the small island. Obviously planted, it must be over a hundred years old at least, the lake and island feature on the ordnance plans from the beginning of the twentieth century.

The bluebells around the lake add to the magic of the place, on a good spring day it is an invigorating spot to visit. Even the sycamore struggling to make headway in the foliage amongst the bluebells adds a dash of colour.

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Artefacts discovered at the Parlington Hall site PERFUME BOTTLE FOUND IN CELLAR EXCAVATION

A small piece of glass with the following embossed writing Graelle & Cie Perfumers The name does not return any positive results by searching on the net, so the date of the glass and the original manufacturer remain unknown.

REMAINS OF YORKS BOTTLERS ASSOCIATION TRADEMARK ™

The above bottle whilst not intact has a really good embossed trademark York Bottlers Association Ltd The symbol features what looks like two crossed wooden glass handling implements along with a slightly different third vertical implement, each of the pieces has one of the letters which form the association name YBA.

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SHEFFIELD STAINLESS STEEL KNIFE

Amongst the general debris was the knife shown above, which clearly shows how good Firth Stainless is or was? Only the non-stainless hilt shows signs of corrosion, testament to the quality of Sheffield steels, not that I'll be buttering my toast with it!

POTS & SUNDRY ITEMS

The above is one example of perhaps twenty or thirty found, many broken, at best like this one, only cracked. They are all preserve jars, one had the remnants of a label, but this was too damaged to photograph successfully.

BELL SYSTEM

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Amongst the lesser obvious items found were these two fragments from the house bell alert system. A visit to Lotherton confirmed identical brass pieces still in working order in the servant’s part of the house. The larger piece contains a mounting face plate which supports a pivot carrying three arms, with a wire attached to each end of the curved arms.

The purpose of this was clearly to allow the wires to carry the signal around a 90° corner.

The lower piece is identical to one at Lotherton Hall which takes the wires from the rear door entrance doorbell up to above head height.

The photo above is a brass handle quite possibly the door pull from one of the main entrance doors.

BOOKPLATE RECENTLY ACQUIRED The picture is taken from an original bookplate, produced for Sir Thomas Gascoigne 8th Bart, the description below sets out what bookplates were and a visit to the site gives a comprehensive history of the practice.

The following extract is from Ex-Libris or The Mark of Possession of Books [By the end of the fifteenth century, printing was well established all over Europe, and with it, the availability of books multiplied geometrically.

Logically, the owner of a now larger library wanted all his volumes to be marked as his property. Since having each book decorated with a hand-painted ex-libris was too costly, artists were solicited to make a small wood or metal engraving with the owner's coat of arms, which could be pasted into each volume.]

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MORE ON THE CELLAR

The stairway leading down to the cellar, as it was being excavated, during the summer of 2005. This may look like most of the work was done but the excavations at that time were merely the start!

The semi-circular arch leading to the cellar is about 5' 0" below the present ground level, it forms the entrance passage to the cellar and is accessed via a stone staircase which descends from the former ground floor level. Below is the ground floor plan, drafted by George Fowler-Jones Architect in 1885; the highlighted section shows the cellar, and passageway location. The stairs are directly beneath a flight of stairs shown at ground floor level which lead up to the first floor.

CELLAR PLAN

At the outset, whilst it was obvious that the arch was within a passageway, contained by parts of the house structure on both sides. It was not evident that there was a stairway beneath. Therefore I elected to increase the excavation northwards along the line of the passage, to attempt to discover its length. In so doing the steps started to be uncovered as seen below. The second tread below the ground floor level is seen here, this step was the first to be uncovered, so at that time it was not known which step in the flight it was, as the top of the stairway was further north.

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FIRST STEP UNCOVERED

To excavate the site it would have been easy to get an excavator and fire away, but that would potentially have destroyed many of the artefacts that could lie in the demolition material and remains of the structure. Therefore the whole excavation has been undertaken with spades, trowels, and a large number of plastic buckets! At the top level of the excavation it was easy to fill a bucket with spoil and lift it to the ground level for further disposal. Sadly as the excavation got deeper the lifting of buckets got a lot harder!

BUCKETS AWAITING REMOVAL Digging continued through the late summer and autumn of 2005, however works were suspended during the winter and were only restarted in the early summer of 2006. To make the excavation easier it was clear that the north end of the dig if extended in a gradual slope would benefit the removal of the buckets with spoil. However in so doing the top of the stairway was discovered and this led to the discovery of a landing or passageway at ground floor level in York stone paving.

LANDING AT HEAD OF STAIRWAY

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LOOKING BACK DOWN THE STAIRWAY FROM THE LANDING

Mid August 2006 and the excavation is down to the tenth step, probably only three more to go.

12' 0" (3.600M) DEEP The fill within the cellar passageway below 6' 0" was largely made up of loose material which was easy to dig, occasional large pieces of masonry or brick were encountered, some so large as to be extremely difficult to manhandle to the surface. It was surprising that whole bottles were lying unscathed, the photograph below shows some of the glassware recovered, most of the glass

BOTTLES FOUND IN THE EXCAVATION The tall bottle at the rear of the collection is shown below, it is embossed with the name Proprietors Finsbury Distillery Co which I have discovered was the former name of the distillers of Stone's Original Green Ginger Wine

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Parlington Hall:: Chinese porcelain eighteenth century plate

Matching porcelain to the Gascoigne Service The above fragments of porcelain were discovered in the roadway on route to the site of the former lake which used to exist at the foot of the hillside known as Parlington Hollins, subsequent visits following heavy rainfall have uncovered further pieces. Following the discovery a trip was made to Lotherton Hall to view the collection of Gascoigne Armorial Porcelain Service held there, interestingly whilst the pattern on the fragments is clearly traditional Blue and White and not a bespoke design, the porcelain composition itself appears to be almost identical to that which comprises the Chinese service acquired by Sir Thomas Gascoigne in the 1770's. The gold edging and indents on the perimeter are a direct match for some of the pieces in the collection. Could it have been broken on route to a picnic at the lake?

The base of the plate has a distinctive rough surface and is orange/yellow in colour, exactly the same as the armorial service.

Approximate location of the plate

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Parlington Hall:: Porcelain figurine The small piece of figurine which is a fragment of the whole is a complete mystery, it is as if it has been hung drawn and quartered and the quarter shown here is the headless left side of the torso!

The small figurine was found in the area that used to form the stable yard on the south side of the stable block, today it is planted with a mixture of trees, some self seeded and every year as a result of the turnover of the surface soil by plants, things come to the surface! This little treasure, worthless in monetary terms, was one such find.

My belief is that it is English, early nineteenth century; the jacket looks to be a Dickensian style with a broad collar spreading almost as far as the shoulder seam of the jacket. Clearly the character has his hands in his pocket, well his left hand anyway. A kind of local squire figure, much like the then squire of Parlington Richard Oliver Gascoigne! It may seem stupid but I love this little character and often revisit the site of the find to see if anything else turns up.

Parlington Hall:: Marble skirtings The first piece of marble was found in the ground, amongst the material excavated during the uncovering of the semi-circular ashlar wall of the Bay, the piece is on the extreme left in the header picture. A few other small fragments have been uncovered and then earlier this year [2008] when the lake near the Gamekeepers cottage was being prepared for dredged, at the east end was a piece of material sticking out of the mud, the smooth surface was evident even though much of it was covered in slime from years of submersion.

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Teetering on the hard ground at the edge of the lake, I stretched forward and managed to pull the slippery object from the grip of the mud. It was obviously stone, the weight and temperature made this apparent. It was also unlikely to be wood having, as could be seen a square end, jutting from the mud.

Finished End of Skirting

After washing in some clean water the marble was found to be surprisingly well preserved, even the fine groove at the top edge was intact. Freed from the mud, the dowel hole was apparent in the squared off end.

Dowel Hole in the Skirting Intriguingly, a further visit to the lake as the water level dropped revealed two more sections of marble had been thrown in and were lying near where the first was discovered. After cleaning I was pleased to discover that two of the broken pieces matched as can be seen in the picture below.

Another fascinating aspect of the discovery of the marble in the lake is the change in colour which occurs on the face at around 20mm from the bottom edge, it is clear that the marble has faded and that the darker area is where it was concealed by an abutting piece of material like a marble flooring.

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Parlington Hall:: Weimar Porcelain Cup The above porcelain cup was found during the excavation of the cellar, the laborious digging into the stairwell to uncover the staircase to the cellar was occasionally lightened by the artefacts discovered. But none more so than the finding of the first half of the cup. Then to discover the remaining half a week or so later some feet away and lower in the excavations was a sheer delight, the picture shows the cup having been glued back together.

I was intrigued to find out more about the cup and started by looking up the name from the base Weimar, on the internet, it was made by a German company started by Fasolt and Eichel their porcelain factory commenced in 1856 and production ceased around 1918. They produced tableware porcelain, coffee and tea sets, washstand sets and decorative porcelain.

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A chance query on eBay and I discovered a pair of the cups along with saucers, I was fortunate to be able to win them so I now know how they look as a piece, cup and saucer. Below are the three together.

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