Details

The monument includes the buried and earthwork remains of the moated site
and its associated fishpond complex and quarries at Harvington Hall,
Chaddesley Corbett. The moat is sub-rectangular and measures approximately
150m north to south by 110m east to west with a large triangular island upon
which stands Harvington Hall. The Hall, a Grade I Listed Building of the late
medieval period, is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath
it is included.

To the immediate north east of the moated site is a sub-rectangular pond. This
pond is the sole remaining unmodified pond formerly part of a chain of four
ponds surrounding the moated site. To the north of the moated site lies a
large sandstone quarry, from which the building materials used in the
construction and modification of the Hall are believed to have come and which
was later reused and adapted to serve as the kennels complex associated with
the Hall. To the west of the Hall a further quarry also provided stone for
building works at the moat. In the south west corner of this quarry is the
entrance to the ice house associated with Harvington Hall. All the arms of the
moat remain water-filled. The moat is partly lined with bricks and red
sandstone blocks. The main approach to the island is via a Listed Grade I
single arched bridge built of red sandstone and reinforced in brick. The
buildings on the island rise directly from the moat edge in a sheer face along
the inner face of the arms of the moat. On the north west part of the island
lie an 18th century chapel and a 17th century malt house both of which are
Listed Grade II and are included in the scheduling. There is a second entrance
to the island to the south west in the form of a stone built double arched
bridge with brick arch linings and which is Listed Grade II. Both entrances
are believed to have been original entrances to the moat island.

On the northern side of the moated site, a substantial earthen bank acts as a
dam retaining the water against the natural slope away from the site. There is
an outlet in the northern angle of the outer bank of the moat ditch, allowing
water to flow down hill from the moat. The modern approach to Harvington Hall
runs across the retaining bank of the north eastern arm of the moat. The
island of the moated site is roughly triangular, orientated north east to
south west. The buildings of Harvington Hall are located in the south and east
sectors of the island, with the main house in the southern angle. The interior
of the island is largely level, although excavations in advance of a drainage
trench uncovered archaeological deposits ranging from prehistoric to post-
medieval.

To the north east of the moated site, across the modern access road, lies the
sub-rectangular pool known as `Gallows Pool' on the late 18th century estate
plan. This pond formed the first of a chain of ponds recorded as surrounding
the hall in early maps. At the north western end of the pool lies a small
separate stone lined pond. This is where the spring rises which feeds the
entire system. A cobbled hollow way runs from opposite the eastern end of the
quarry arcing towards the Gallows Pool.

The quarry which lies to the north east of the moated site exhibits signs of
occupation, including beam slots, tooling and brick lined faces of chimney
flues. To the west of the moat lies a second quarry, a further source of
building materials for the Hall. This quarry also contains substantial tooling
marks and beam slots. In the south eastern angle is a brick lined archway
which is the entrance way to the ice house associated with the Hall. The ice
house is partly constructed from brick and partly hewn from the sandstone, it
would originally have been stocked with ice taken from the adjacent pond
complex. The remains of the ice house are included in the scheduling.

All modern lighting, fencing, garden furniture, and the surface of modern
paths and roads are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath
these features is 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.

The moated site at Harvington Hall includes a range of associated features,
the majority of which are well documented. The development of the status of
the site will enhance our understanding of moated sites. The complex
of fishponds surrounding the site and the evidence of the engineering
required to establish the water management features within the confines of the
landscape enhances the importance of the site.

The survival of the original quarries used in the construction of the site,
and the documentation and physical evidence for the reuse of the quarries, as
part of the domestic complex providing kennels and an ice house, provide
further rare insights into the origins, construction and domestic reuse of the
monument.

The moated site and pond have remained water-filled and the preservation of
organic remains would be expected. Part excavation within the island of the
moated site has also shown that several phases of archaeological deposits
survive, including evidence of prehistoric occupation prior to the
construction of the moated site. The series of buildings which survive on
the island and which include the Hall, granary, chapel and the malt house
further add to our understanding of the use and development of structures
within a moated site.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Hodgetts, M, Guide Book, (1991)
Hussey, Reverend C, Hodgetts, M, Guide Book, (1944)
Moger, O, Wragge, A, The Victoria History of the County of Worcestershire, (1913), 35
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Worcestershire, (1968), 192
Stone, R, Macklin, S, 'Hereford Archaeology Series' in Harvington Hall Interim Report On Excavations, , Vol. 233, (1995)
Other
Leigh J, AM107, (1987)

Source: Historic England