Stackpole Court park, gardens and lakes lie 5km to the south of Pembroke town. The estate has origins from at least the twelfth century when one of the earliest known occupiers of the site was Sir Leonard de Stackpole, a crusader. He, or his family, gave the name to this area. The last house on the site was demolished in the 1960s (nprn 125).

It was from the early eighteenth century onwards that the parks, gardens, lakes and woodlands were developed and improved to create a sophisticated and beautiful ornamental landscape on a huge scale. At its zenith Stackpole would have rivalled some of the best estates in Britain with strategically placed walks, lakes, bridges, weirs and grottos, all complemented by thoughtful and innovative planting. The water features are of particular interest and sophistication (265322).

When mapped in 1864 three areas of parkland were portrayed, partly bounded by woodland and separated by lakes or fishponds formed by the damming and flooding of the three existing, natural, limestone valleys forming an arc around the court on its north, east and south.

On the north is Belvedere Hill, ‘Old Deer Park’ on the tithe, and now partitioned pasture, bounded on the north and east by Castle Dock Wood in which are several built structures. Early views show a tower, belvedere or hunting lodge, almost at the hill summit. Opposite, on the south side of the fishpond is a woodland area known as Lodge Park, which included the pleasure gardens and the walled garden (700004), and to its south an area of partitioned open parkland. Neither of these areas is shown as parkland in 1906. The third, largest, park area lies to the immediate east, opposite the fishpond, extending as far as the low cliffs above the shoreline on Barafundle Bay. Known as the ‘New Deer Park’ in a survey of 1782, its creation necessitated the removal of Stackpole village. Now partitioned agricultural land, nineteenth-century woodland clumps survive along with a length of ha-ha on the north and some border woodland. Park house, Park Lodge (401857) and kennels on the north-west also survive. This area is connected to the home farm complex and pleasure gardens on the west by an eight-arched bridge, of eighteenth-century date, crossing the picturesque pond (265322; 403987).

Early maps show a variety of drives, trackways and paths which have possibly changed in status. From the north there is a route from near St Petrox past Hill Lodge; and from the north-east is a track through Cheriton Bottom, possibly once the main drive. Both merge to cross a single-arched bridge over the northern lake before sweeping east towards the mansion forecourt and the stable courtyard beyond. Other approaches served different elements of the estate.

Sources:

Cadw 2002: Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire, 310-16 (ref: PGW(Dy)44(PEM)).

Ordnance Survey six-inch map: sheet Pembrokeshire XLIII (editions of 1864 & 1906); second-edition 25-inch map: sheet Pembrokeshire XLIII.5 (1906).

RCAHMW, 13 November 2020

Site Record

Stackpole Park