Details

The monument includes the earthwork and buried remains of a medieval moated
site and a post-medieval formal garden. The moated site lay within a deer
park, formerly known as Bromhurst Park, which was established by the Earl of
Arundel in the 13th century. The moated site was constructed in an area of
gently undulating land. Three of the four moat arms survive as visible
earthworks each about 19m wide. The fourth arm has been infilled but will
survive as a buried feature. Its course is principally defined by the track
that runs past Bromwich Park Farm. The moat defined an island, which was
probably square, about 40m across. Material excavated from the moat was used
to raise the surface of the island by approximately 1m above the level of
the surrounding land. Additional material was deposited outside the moat,
alongside the south eastern and south western arms, to form banks 13m wide and
0.8m high. The moat is now dry, and a channel at the intersection of the two
outer banks connects with a modern drainage ditch in order to drain the moat.
A pond formerly located within the north part of the north eastern arm has
also been filled in. The well-defined earthworks that exist on the island
indicate the presence of structural features. Embedded bricks and stone blocks
give a further indication of the nature of some of the buildings that once
stood here.

Adjoining the moated site, on its south eastern side, are remains of a
post-medieval formal garden. The garden layout is indicated by numerous low
scarps, that run parallel with and at right angles to the south eastern moat
ditch and outer bank which define a series of level platforms.

A number of features are excluded from the scheduling, these are; all modern
field boundaries, garden and enclosure walls, gates and fences, track and yard
surfaces, and the telegraph pole and animal trough on the moated island; the
ground beneath all these features is, however, included.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

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.

Bromwich Park moated site and the associated formal garden survive well as
earthworks with associated buried deposits. The moated island will retain
structural and artefactual evidence of the buildings that once stood on the
site, which together with the artefacts and organic remains existing in the
moat will provide valuable information about the occupation and the social
status of the inhabitants. Organic remains surviving in the buried ground
surface of the interior and within the moat will also provide information
about the local environment and use of the land before and after the moated
site was constructed.

The formal garden enhanced the immediate surroundings of the moated site
during the post-medieval period. The buried remains of walkways, parterres and
other ornamental features are expected to survive, together with the evidence
of planting schemes. These remains will provide a valuable insight into the
functional and artistic development of gardening during this period.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
Title: County Series map
Source Date: 1874
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:

Source: Historic England