An evaluation at the site of Rosherville Gardens, Northfleet

In late 2012 a team from Oxford Archaeology carried out an evaluation on the site of the former Henley Cable Works in Northfleet on behalf of the Homes and Communities Agency. The cable works were constructed over the remains of Rosherville Gardens, a popular mid-19th century Victorian pleasure garden. The Gardens closed in the 1920s and were levelled during the 1930s. The purpose of the evaluation was to determine whether features associated with Rosherville Gardens survived. Six trenches were targeted upon garden features recorded on the 1865 First Edition Ordnance Survey (Fig 1).

The evaluation demonstrated that despite extensive clearance of the site both in the 1930s and more recently, remains associated with Rosherville Gardens still survived. Truncated garden soils and landscaping deposits were observed in Trenches 1, 4 and 5, and Trench 6 revealed ephemeral remains of possible foundations for the Banqueting Hall. However, the most exciting discoveries were of remains associated with two landmark features of the gardens: the fountain (Trench 7) and the Bear Pit (Trench 2). Both features were located along the raised Broad Walk that formed a prominent feature within the garden.

In Trench 7, truncated remains of the base of a decorative feature were uncovered. The remains consisted of fragments of terracotta tile and moulded concrete that formed a roughly circular shape. The truncated nature of the remains made it difficult to determine whether they were part of the fountain or associated with the Flaming Urn, a gas-fired feature that replaced the fountain during the later years of the garden. Small lead pipes were uncovered in a test pit excavated through the centre of the tiled area and these are likely to be part of the water system for the fountain.

In addition to the remains of the decorative feature, Trench 7 also confirmed that the fountain and urn had once sat in the centre of a landscaped mound with a small flint retaining wall. The original topsoil of the mound was also preserved along with fragments of the Broad Walk’s crushed shell path. The feature appears to have survived because rather than demolishing the Broad Walk in the 1930s, the lower ground level of the Italian Gardens had been raised with a series of dumped deposits until it reached the level of the Broad Walk during the 1930s demolition.

Trench 2 revealed substantial well preserved remains of the Bear Pit (Fig 2) constructed within a circular extension to the Broad Walk. The western half of the 6m diameter circular brick constructed pit was virtually intact with only the capping bricks and iron railings along the top missing. The wall survived to height of approximately 3m. The eastern side had been subject to truncation, presumably during the 1930s clearance of the site, with the walls surviving to a height of 1.95m. A test pit through the centre of the pit confirmed that the pit’s slate floor was still intact. A square metal plinth, measuring just under half a metre squared, was positioned in the centre of the pit. The plinth has a central hole and contemporary photographs suggest that this plinth had once contained a wooden ‘climbing’ post.

The excavation also revealed a surviving arched doorway which connected the pit to at least two cages and a network of access corridors to the north and east of the pit (Fig 3). Access between the pit and cages appeared to be restricted by a metal gate that may have been operated by a pulley system.

The subterranean corridors provided access to the cages and pit for the keepers via the lower level Italian Garden beneath the Broad Walk. The cages and corridors were constructed from stock brick with the exception of the outer corridor wall that curved around the pit, which was fashioned from roughly hewn chalk blocks. Slit windows were placed within the corridor walls allowing the keepers to be able to safely look into the pit and the cages (Fig 4).

The roofs over the cages and corridors had been removed during the 1930s demolition phase, presumably to ensure that the cable works were constructed on a solid surface free from voids. Recesses for ceiling beam slots were observed within the main access corridor wall and along the outer wall of the Bear Pit. A test pit excavated between the corridor wall and outer pit wall uncovered fragmented flat stone slabs probably part of the roof. The roofs of the cages appeared to be vaulted and were overlain by a series of tip deposits. An area of preserved topsoil and shell path around the pit was also observed.

The trenching exercise indicated that remains associated with Rosherville Gardens survived in varying levels of preservation across the area despite the 1930s clearance, subsequent building programme and more recent demolition and remediation. The significance of the surviving features generally ranged from low to moderate. The Bear Pit, however, is of considerable significance primarily due to its rarity – there are very few surviving examples of Victorian bear pits throughout the country. Given its significance, the Bear Pit has been carefully reburied, along with the remains of the fountain, while the Homes and Communities Agency discuss the best way to ensure future preservation with Kent County Council Historic Environment Group and English Heritage.

For further information on the evaluation, please visit: http://library.thehumanjourney.net/1184