Listed Building record MDR16525 - Deer Cote, Sudbury Park

A grade II* listed deer cote cum folly dating to the mid 18th and early 19th century. It is constructed of red brick with sandstone dressings and takes the form of a castle with a gatehouse; four angle turrets and curtain wall on three sides, enclosing a large square space. To the south elevation is a central early 19th century sham gatehouse with polygonal angle turrets rising above the gabled centre part. A painting from the mid 18th century at Sudbury Hall suggests that the corner pavilions were originally roofed, and that the gatehouse is a later addition. See list description for more details. (1) A Conservation Management Plan was carried out for the North Parkland buildings, including the deer cote, at Sudbury Park in 2014. The deer cote is a purpose built brick deer enclosure with the addition of a large sham gatehouse. It was built in c. 1720-23 as a large enclosure for management of a deer herd, originally with ogee shaped roofs on the turrets. The internal arrangement of the deer cote incorporated a central building, possibly designed as a deer barn, or house. It is a high quality construction with narrow 'struck' joints in brickwork. It was dramatically altered in the mid 18th century by the addition of a large sham gatehouse, potentially associated with landscaping and parkland improvements attributed to Sanderson Miller. It was designed as a dramatic eye-catcher acting as a focal point in the principal vista when looking north from Sudbury Hall. The size and design of the deer cote compound is almost unparalleled, and its subsequent adaptation in to a sham castle attributed to Sanderson Miller, makes it a particularly rare and important example of his work in the North Midlands. It forms part of the North Parkland surround Sudbury Hall, is a grade II* listed building, and is included as a landmark structure within the Sudbury Conservation Area. See report for more details. (2)