Rousham at Risk

The Group has written to Cherwell District Council to express grave concern at proposals for a vast new town development at Heyford Park, a former RAF airbase, which threatens to cause considerable harm to the significance of the Grade I Registered Park and Garden (RPG) at Rousham and the Rousham Conservation Area (RCA). Click here to read our letter in full: 291025_Rousham_GG Consultation response

Originally laid out to plans by Charles Bridgeman in the 1720s and 1730s, the pleasure grounds at Rousham were enhanced, defined and ultimately immortalised by William Kent between 1737-41. Kent is an acknowledged genius of eighteenth-century landscape design and his gardens at Rousham are widely considered his masterpiece.

Rousham’s pleasure grounds have always been, and remain, highly influential. During the eighteenth-century they were the subject of commentary by many distinguished visitors, including Horace Walpole who considered Rousham to be Kent’s best work; and Rousham’s far-reaching influence on Kent’s contemporaries is noted in the National List Entry of 1998. The current plans for the new town include 9,000 new dwellings, amenities and three 100m wind turbines built within the setting of the RCA.

Dr. Anya Lucas, Director of The Georgian Group, said: “Rousham is one of the supreme achievements of English landscape design. Its genius lies not only in the internal visual delight of its terraces and temples, but also in the unspoilt rural setting that frames every view towards the River Cherwell and beyond. To compromise that setting with intrusive development would let daylight in upon magic; it would unravel the coherence of a masterpiece which has been left virtually untouched since William Kent completed work in 1741. The Georgian Group urges a more enlightened approach and proper protection of Rousham’s surroundings: once the tranquility and visual integrity of this landscape is lost, it will be lost forever.”

John Phibbs MBE, Georgian Group Casework Committee member, said: “Rousham is the single intact work of the first of the giants of the English Landscape Movement, which sought in the 18th century to find a closer relationship between man and nature. It is a garden for our time. Kent and Bridgeman’s garden can be read as an amphitheatre, the countryside beyond is the stage and Nature is performing on it. It is an education in brave design. Nowhere else can we see at a glance the successful reversal of the principles of 17th century French and Dutch gardening. Few revolutions have been less painless and more joyful. Rousham is all the more precious because for generations one family has kept it going. Through war and epidemic, drought and flood, in good times and in bad. An Astonishing Achievement! It is a ‘must see’ for any visitor who is curious about this country.”

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!

 “We are in peril”

A personal appeal to Georgian Group Members from the Friends of Rousham:

ROUSHAM AT RISK – THE CAMPAIGN

Rousham is very special. The ‘very cradle of the English Landscape Garden’, designed by William Kent and virtually unchanged since he left it in 1741. Described by Monty Don as only of the ‘greatest gardens in the world’ and only recently included in the New York Times’ top 25 gardens in the world to visit.

Unbeknownst to us in late September this year an application was put in to build 9,000 houses at nearby Heyford Park by a developer called Dorchester Living. The site is less than 2 miles from the Grade 1 listed park and landscape gardens…

We only found out about this a few days before the deadline to object on Saturday 11th October. We were not consulted at any point, even though part of the proposed development is on agricultural fields which are within the Rousham Conservation Area. This was set up to preserve the views from the landscape gardens in 1991 and most recently reinforced in 2018, yet they are proposing to build 4 storey structures here up to 18m high along with 3x 100m tall wind turbines on the site.

In addition to this the developers intend to ‘enhance’ the tiny railway station at Heyford on the NE boundary of the park as the transport hub for 25,000 people. Currently there is only parking for around 30 cars and not even a ticket machine here, let alone a building… The station is hemmed in by The Oxford Canal and otherwise surrounded by the Rousham meadows which are themselves an ancient floodplain and in full view of, or part of the landscape gardens. The inevitable massive increases in traffic will also threaten the single lane medieval Grade II* listed bridge, first recorded in 1255 which Kent incorporated into his vista.

The Georgian Group has leapt to Rousham’s defence and we are immensely grateful for your support.

Very frankly, we are in peril and need as many objections as we can get. The deadline has technically passed, but you still have the right to object wherever you reside until a decision is made. We have been told ‘the sooner the better’ for objections to be considered. So please, if you feel minded to e mail: planning@cherwell-dc.gov.uk

Quoting: 25/02190/HYBRID & including your name and address.

Many of you will know Rousham already but if you don’t- please do come and visit and if you do, we encourage you to come again! This is also way of supporting us: www.rousham.org

As the website says: ‘Rousham is completely unspoilt and uncommercialised- no tearoom and no shop- just glorious gardens to explore at your leisure. Bring a picnic and comfortable shoes and it is yours for the day’. The entry fee of just £10 at an honesty ticket machine.

There is also roushamgardens on Instagram.

In case you missed last week’s article in Country Life: https://www.countrylife.co.uk/gardens/one-of-the-truly-great-gardens-of-the-world-is-at-risk-of-having-its-vistas-and-tranquility-blighted-forever

And finally we have just launched a website: www.friendsofrousham.co.uk

Here you will find testimonials of well-known Friends of Rousham from the worlds of gardening, landscape garden design, architecture, history, art history and so on. We also invite to you to say why Rousham is special to you, as it is all evidence of why this beautiful sanctuary in the heart of rural Oxfordshire must be preserved for generations to come.

Thank you so much for your support!