Hylands Park - A Brief History
surrounded by a park pale. The entire estate - put-up for sale in 1795 by the third John Comyns to
own Hylands - included the park and 400 acres of adjacent farmland (Sliackstones and Bridge
Farms).
The estate was subsequently bought by Cornelius Kortright, a wealthy owner of estates in the West
Indies in 1797. It was Kortright who promptly engaged the services of Humphry Repton, the
landscape gardener, to produce a plan - in the form of a Red Book - for Hylands. Kortright also
significantly enlarged the 1730 park, doubling its acreage to 213 acres (86 ha.).
At Hylands Repton's probable design (his Red Book is now lost) would have included the removal
of the direct approach, the formal gardens and turn-around. The proposals probably also advocated
a re-aligned approach to the house, the construction of a serpentine lake, a walled kitchen garden
and shrubbery laid-out to the north-west with a ha-ha and clumps and belts of trees planted on the
periphery of the park. Repton is also thought to have influenced the appearance of the house by
designing the east and west wings and portico.
In July 2002 a team of archaeologists from the Museum of London were commissioned to look for.
amongst other things, evidence of Repton's ha-ha located north of the house. A subsequent
geophysical survey along the present-day fence line of the formal gardens failed to reveal any
evidence of its existence. This is not surprising, since this was not the boundary c. 1800. It is quite
clear from the Michael John Mason estate map of 1814, that the ha-ha, if it did exist, would actually
be very close to the house itself (at most, probably only 80 or 90 feet due north of the house). The
north lawn was "replaced" in the 1990s. I have been told that it was ploughed before turf was laid
and this would have removed any surface evidence of a filled-in ha-ha. I did notice, however, when
a cable trench was dug across the back lawn, a brick rubble, slate and clay infill (to a depth of about
3ft) in what would be an appropriate position for the ha-ha. It would be a useful exercise to re-
survey the north lawn area in order to confirm or deny the hypothesis that Repton's ha-ha in fact
actually existed, mainly for reasons of historical accuracy.
Kortright resided at Hylands until 1814. when once again the estate was put-up for sale, eventually
being purchased by the wealthy banker Pierre Caesar Labouchere. Labouchere employed the architect
William Atkinson, who probably constructed several buildings in the park - at this time a new-
stable block and probably the home farm were built and a large walled kitchen garden was erected
by the London Road main gate. A huge hot-house was constructed in the gardens, also possibly the
work of Atkinson. Atkinson is also notable for his netted cherry orchard, created at Hylands in
1821.
Labouchere's death in 1839 caused (the estate once again to be put on the market - the sales particulars
mention the park and estate being enclosed with "oak park paling, a considerable portion new
within the last year". An article in the Chelmsford Chronicle of 19th July 1839 gives the last known
record of Repton's 'Red Book' for Hylands showing 'the former and present appearance of the
house and grounds'.
John Attwood - industrialist and erstwhile M.R for Harwich - bought Hylands and between 1842
and 1845 he commissioned the architect J.B .Papworth to alter the house and its interior decoration
to his taste. The park yvas doubled in size from Labouchere's c.300 acres (120 ha.) to some 590
acres (239 ha.). The surrounding area was considerably altered by the acquisition and subsequent
demolition of buildings that either intruded upon or interfered with his view from the park. This
included Coptfold Hall, plus farms and other properties outside the park. I suspect that the property
Essex Parks: Section 2 - Hylands Park
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