Shrubland Park
Encyclopedia
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
overlooking the Gipping Valley
River Gipping
The River Gipping is the source river for the River Orwell in the county of Suffolk in East Anglia, England, which gave its name to the former Gipping Rural District and the village of Gipping....
between Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
and Needham Market
Needham Market
Needham Market is a town in Suffolk, England. It initially grew around the wool combing industry, until the onset of the plague, which swept the town from 1663 to 1665. To prevent the spread of the disease, the town was chained at either end, which succeeded in its task but at the cost of...
.
The first recorded owner was Robert de Shrubeland, although there is evidence of occupation on the site since the Roman period.
The Grade II* listed hall was designed by James Paine in the 1770s and survives as the central core on the present building. The entrance was originally at ground level on the garden side. While Gandy Deering made extensive alterations in the 1830s. There was a major remodelling of the building in 1850 by Sir Charles Barry
Charles Barry
Sir Charles Barry FRS was an English architect, best known for his role in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster in London during the mid-19th century, but also responsible for numerous other buildings and gardens.- Background and training :Born on 23 May 1795 in Bridge Street, Westminster...
who also designed the gardens.
Shrubland Hall Health Clinic operated in the hall adjoining Shrubland Park Gardens from the 1960s until 2 April 2006, when the Shrubland Estate, totalling some 1300 acres (5.3 km²), was put up for sale with an asking price of £23 million.
By late 2007 no sale had yet been finalised. The Shrubland Park Estate was the ancestral family seat of the Barons de Saumarez.
The gardens which contain many Grade II listed features were open to the public until 2006 as a visitor attraction. It is styled in true Italian style, much use is made of evergreens (yew, box and laurel) clipped into architectural shapes to soften the hard landscaping of the masonry. Much use is also made of Pines, Cedars, Holly and Holm Oak to further the Italian flavour and style of the garden.