Monument record MDR8050 - Former Gardens of Bridge Hill House, Bridge Hill, Belper

The grounds around Bridge Hill House [SMR 17039] were extensively landscaped following the construction of the house in 1794, sufficiently for Stephen Glover to write '.. what was, up to a few years ago a waste is now converted into a complete paradise'. It is not known who was responsible for the landscaping. The gardens no longer survive and the site has been developed for housing. (1) A detailed description of the grounds and its botanical contents was published in 1864 which noted that 'no sooner is the visitor within the precincts of the place than he is at once struck with its sublimity'. Kitchen gardens lay about a quarter of a mile beyond the house while immediately in front of the conservatory was a geometric flower garden surrounded by a broad terrace walk. The kitchen gardens were described as covering a space of about five acres and the ornamental grounds about seventeen acres. They included an observatory where the owner made his 'astronomical observations'. (2)