The history of the hollow area which lies between the Ice Pond and the Mere has long been the subject of speculation, so FoAM volunteers established a project during winter 2017/18 to research the site and uncover more about it.
James Hugh Smith Barry inherited the Marbury estate in 1837 and married Elizabeth Shawcross Jackson in 1841. Shortly afterwards, he consulted with William Andrews Nesfield, a leading landscape gardener at the time. We don’t know precisely when the feature was created, but looking at old maps of the area from different time periods, it appears likely that the feature was planned by Nesfield as part of the overall garden design.
After much hard work, volunteers completed clearing mud and debris from the area and uncovered stone features surrounding the hollow.
The stones marking the path and steps down to the feature were cleared, making it much more accessible to visitors.
FoAM purchased stone, which was used by volunteers to cover the base of the area and volunteers also installed a drain from the area to remove water which collects in the hollow. As a result of this research and exploration, the most likely explanation is that the area was constructed as a grotto.
Enthused by finding out more about the Grotto and how it was most likely part of the scheme for the gardens developed by Nesfield, volunteers set about uncovering the foundations of the nearby Summer House, whose position was also shown on the old maps.
Many pieces of roof and ridge tiles were discovered and floor tiles were pieced together round the hearth to illustrate what the floor would have looked like.
There was a very faded photograph in the Rangers’ Cabin which showed two men standing in the porch of a building, but we had no proof of where the photograph had been taken. Careful measurement of the foundation outline and the steps leading into the building has proved that the photograph was the Summer House at Marbury.
Completing the story, the old maps show a path (now lost) from the Lime Avenues to the Summer House. This path continued alongside the Ice Pond and linked up with the steps down to the Grotto, where it joined with the path along the Mere. Thus, it seems likely that Nesfield planned a circular route from the Hall, taking in the Lime Avenues, Summer House, Grotto and Mere as part of an overall planned route for visitors to be shown the estate.