Archaeological excavations at Upper Lodge, Bushy Park, London Borough of Richmond, 1997–99

Abstract

Excavations at Upper Lodge, Bushy Park, revealed a complex history to the site of this former royal hunting lodge. A series of walled compartments, entered through an imposing gate, surrounded the earlier lodge. This building was clearly of some substance. The original lodge was demolished in the late 17th or early 18th century. The demolition rubble contained the remains of a set of tin-glazed tiles of late 16th-/early 17th-century date depicting hunting scenes. Between 1709–15, the earl of Halifax laid out an elaborate water garden, and rebuilt the lodge on a new site. The water gardens were much disturbed by later activity, but the remains of two grottoes, either side of a cascade, were discovered. These remains revealed the highly contrived techniques used to create ornamental garden structures.