Highbury Park Friends

One of the more important features of the former Chamberlain estate is the area of formal gardens to the east and south of the main house. These were extensively landscaped in a variety of styles.

These gardens have been abandoned for decades, so identifying the remains is a matter of some guesswork. Fortunately, photographs in the Chamberlain Archive at the University of Birmingham provide very useful clues. An 1899 photograph of the parterre garden gives a pretty fair idea of the plan. With the main house faintly visible in the distance, the curvilinear hedge, a line of trees on a small rise to the right and sunlight from the left give a good indication that the view is across the northern portion of the garden.

When referenced against an 1884 map, the location of the photographer can be estimated within a few feet, and the orientation of the camera can be judged from the context.

But other factors need to be considered. By 1937, after the estate had been set up as a charity, a tennis court was made on part of the garden.

The trick then is to return to that spot and see what remains can be identified.

An almost surreal remnant can be seen in the line of trees that match the curve of former garden hedge. Or, put another way, the hedge, neglected for nearly a hundred years, is now rather taller. The panorama below shows the view from a position a few feet north of the 1899 photo. The full size image is here.

The following photo is from a position inside the former garden.

Plotted on the 1937 map, the panorama is taken from position 1, while the view from inside is at position 2. Both are of the view towards the house.

Plotted on the 1899 photo, the viewpoints would be roughly as shown by the red dots.

All told, the outline formed by the trees is, after all this time, a pretty accurate indicator of the former garden location. The footpath may also be an accurate remnant as it looks to follow the original garden paths.