Itton Court, an eighteenth-century house on a medieval site and later extended (nprn 37112), is located within parkland (700382) about 4km north-west of Chepstow. It is notable as a good example of an historic park and garden, which survives in its entirety, with remnants of a seventeenth-century layout, eighteenth-century landscaping and nineteenth-century/early-twentieth century alterations and planting.

The earliest evidence of a garden at Itton Court is a plan of 1695 (1782 copy) which shows a rectangular formal garden to the north of the house. Its north end was apsidal, with a central feature. This area appears on the 1886 six-inch Ordnance Survey map, flanked by rows of trees and without its apsidal end. It is now a lawn, and the only trace of the seventeenth-century layout is the grass bank along its east edge, which extends southwards to form the east boundary of the upper terrace to the east of the house. The approach to the house is through the garden, to the west and south of the house. Both drives arrive at the walled forecourt to the west of the house built in the late nineteenth century. To the east of the house are two long terraces. On the east edge of the lower terrace is a ha-ha, beyond which is the park. To the south of the house the ground slopes gently southwards and most of the area is laid out as lawn with specimen trees. There is a small formal terraced garden next to the south end of the house, laid out largely with lawns and paths. Along the east side of the churchyard (now in the church's extended cemetery) is a row of large wellingtonia trees; the church of St Deiniol (307339) was rebuilt by the Curre family of Itton Court in 1869 and contains a collection of monuments to the family.
An area about 100m square between the terraces on the east of the house & the west end of the east avenue, shows traces of rectilinear divisions and possible building foundations (24354)in an area shown as informally planted in 1886 (Ordnance Survey).

The walled kitchen garden (37113) lies to the south of the pleasure garden, south of the church.

Sources:
Cadw 1994: Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales: Gwent, 57-58 (ref: PGW (Gt)21).
Ordnance Survey six-inch map: sheet Monmouthshire XXV (1886); six-inch map: sheet Monmouthshire XXV.SE (1902); six-inch map: sheet Monmouthshire XXV (1922)
RCAHMW air photos: 965073/46-8; 965106/63-4.
Additional notes: J.Wiles (12.11.2003).

RCAHMW, 19 July 2022

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