Details

The moat at Ardeley Bury is situated about 600m west of Ardeley village. The
monument includes a large nearly square-shaped moat orientated north-east
south-west. It measures c.140m long by c.115m wide. The arms of the moat are
dry and are between 15m and 10m wide and are a maximum of 2m in depth. A
renovated Tudor house is located in the northern half of the island, with a
Grade II listed ice house situated about 12m north of the house. Part of the
north-east arm has been infilled and forms the causeway onto the island.
Footings at the west corner indicate the location of an earlier bridge
alongside the modern wooden one. A substantial bank and ditch in the north
arc of the moat and on the line of the original moat arm can be attributed to
landscaping in the early 19th century. Ardeley Bury house, of mid-Tudor
origin is a Grade II* listed building. The house, ice house, the wooden
footbridge and the entrance driveway are excluded from the scheduling, but the
ground beneath them is included. The swimming pool is totally excluded from
the scheduling.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Around 6,000 moated sites are known in England. They consist of wide ditches,
often or seasonally water-filled, partly or completely enclosing one or more
islands of dry ground on which stood domestic or religious buildings. In some
cases the islands were used for horticulture. The majority of moated sites
served as prestigious aristocratic and seigneurial residences with the
provision of a moat intended as a status symbol rather than a practical
military defence. The peak period during which moated sites were built was
between about 1250 and 1350 and by far the greatest concentration lies in
central and eastern parts of England. However, moated sites were built
throughout the medieval period, are widely scattered throughout England and
exhibit a high level of diversity in their forms and sizes. They form a
significant class of medieval monument and are important for the understanding
of the distribution of wealth and status in the countryside. Many examples
provide conditions favourable to the survival of organic remains.

The monument at Ardeley Bury is a well preserved example of a moated site.
Although altered by 19th century landscaping, the monument retains original
features of the island and provides an above average example of an early post-
medieval homestead moat.

Source: Historic England