The best of the former landscaping, such as the oak copses and lime tree drive designed by Chambers, were left by Brown. He was influenced by the poet and writer Hugh Walpole, whose verse can be seen on the cross today, commemorating the imprisonment of the Queen. The cross is considered to be an important monument by virtue of its rarity and social history and is protected as a Grade Two Listed Building.
Park House and the grounds were sold to the Bedford family in During this period the public were permitted to roam freely through the Park and enjoy organised sport. During the Great War - the Park was used as an army training camp. By the later part of the 16th century the buildings were already in a state of decay and had been completely demolished by Its true character was that of a palace with the emphasis on the domestic and the activities of an aristocratic household with royal associations.
A plan of , together with other descriptions, give a good idea of the layout of the house around a number of courts. Nothing of the buildings survives above ground, however, there are clear earthwork remains which closely match the plan. It is clear that well preserved archaeological deposits belonging to the house survive within the area of the SAM quite close to the modern ground surface.
The Castle is of considerable importance both locally and nationally, especially for its associations with national events during the 16th century. Although no buildings survive above foundation level the buried remains are of great value.
There is good contemporary documentation of the house which adds value to the remains. That the Castle was built on a new site rather than representing a phase of development at a previously occupied one is also of interest. The fact that site was occupied for a relatively short time, less than m years, at a time of considerable change from medieval to post-medieval periods mean that the artefacts buried in the site are of considerable value in developing our understanding of this period of transition.
Westminster Field is the western most part of Ampthill Park, separated from the rest of the Park by a tall hedge. Historically it was part of the Park but had been separately owned and farmed for many years before it was bought by the Town Council in This summer the Town Council and the Friends of Ampthill Park, helped by the Greensand Trust and kindly funded by Ampthill Fireworks, started a project to restore the field to the flower-rich grassland that would have been typical on its clay soils in the past.
We are lucky that there is a remnant of grassland like this at Steppingley Hospital and so a good local source of seeds. So, in July, the Friends did a hay cut at Steppingley and transported the green hay straight over to Westminster Field. It was spread out over an area of about an acre which had previously been cut, raked and chain harrowed in preparation.
There are no visible remains. It had fallen into decay by the end of C Its site is marked by a cross which was erected in The cross stands on an octagonal base of three steps and is decorated with the royal arms and the arms of Castille and Aragon.
PastScape The site comprises the remains of a 15th century palace, known as Ampthill Castle, which is situated in Ampthill Park, at the top of the north-facing scarp of the Greensand Ridge. The approximate site of the palace is marked by Katherine's Cross, erected in the s to commemorate Katherine of Aragon who lived for a time at the palace. Although there are no upstanding walls, there exists a detailed survey of the palace precinct drawn up in which enables the plan and extent of the ruins to be ascertained.
The main precinct comprised four wings ranged about a rectangular inner court, with a gatehouse on the east wing and kitchens and a great hall on the north.
Other chambers were the state rooms and private quarters. The external dimensions of this precinct were about 65m east-west by 55m north-south. Outside the north wing was a smaller court, measuring 60m east-west by 20m north-south, which contained a well-house. To the east and south the palace was surrounded by an outer, or "Base", Court which had a range of buildings at the perimeter which contained stables, workshops and other rooms which housed the ancillary functions of the palace.
The outer range of buildings lay about 45m to the east of the east wing of the inner court and, although the full extent of the outer court is not shown, it must have extended for a similar distance to the south. Using the known plan as a guide, the remains of the palace can be traced on the ground.
At the crest of the ridge is a rectangular platform, about 0. Katherine's Cross is located on this platform. Between the north edge of the platform and the edge of the steeply-sloping natural scarp is a terrace about 15m wide which accommodated the well-house court. The eastern edge of the Base Court ran about 50m to the west of the platform, diagonally across the present Rugby field, and its southern side is considered to lie at the break of slope of the scarp above the car park fence.
The route of an original access into the Base Court from Woburn Road is marked by a gully leading up this scarp. This scarp and the steep slope to the west of the palace are likely to have been terraced, both in order to consolidate them and for aesthetic reasons.
The buildings had already fallen into decay by and at the time of the survey its partial demolition was planned. Final demolition took place before Beds HER. Websites Gatehouse is not responsible for the content of external websites. Turner, M. The National Archives reference Antiquarian Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers Camden, Wm, , Britannia hypertext critical edition by Dana F.
Kevan J. Fadden, Michael J. Turner, Brian D. Turner, , Pseudo-sections of selected areas of the original geophysical survey carried out on the area believed to be the site of Ampthill Castle in the County of Bedfordshire.
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