Ampthill Park
Part of the Greensand Ridge
Download: Friends of Ampthill Park Newsletter
Ampthill Park is much more than a pleasant place to visit.
This is a nationally important historic site: Henry VIII hunted here 400 years
ago and the landscape we enjoy today was partly created by Lancelot 'Capability'
Brown in the 18th Century. Ampthill Park also provides a window into
Bedfordshire's geology and is also home to some interesting wildlife.
The Park is owned by Ampthill Town Council and is cared for by a Senior Park Keeper and three assistants. The Greensand Trust has recently assisted in the management of the Park and with their help funding has been secured from a number of sources (including Shanks First), to return Ampthill Park to it's former glory. You can read more about the Greensand Trusts management plans for Ampthill Park by visiting www.greensand-trust.org.uk/ampthillpk.html.
Geology: Ampthill Park owes its existence to a shallow sea that flooded Bedfordshire in the Cretaceous period, about 15 million years ago. Over time the sandy seafloor became sandstone that resisted erosion to stand high above the clays that lie to either side of the Greensand Ridge. By the Middle Ages it was clear that the well drained, infertile sandy soil of this part of the Ridge was poor farmland. Instead it became a deer park, a landscape of trees and grasslands managed for the pleasure of the hunt.
Wildlife: In the centuries since Henry VIII hunted here the woodland and grassland have become increasingly important to wildlife, especially insects. The 'wet flushes' where water seeps out from the base of the Greensand Ridge (marked by lush reeds and rushes in the grassland near the reservoir) are particularly significant.
Management: The landscape of Ampthill Park was created over many centuries by people and their animals. Livestock grazing prevents trees growing in grassland; since grazing ceased here, the scrub and trees have invaded the grassland. To maintain the balance between trees and grasses grazing is been reinstated, plus scrub will be cleared from areas where grassland would be more valuable to wildlife. Management carried out by the Greensand Trust on behalf of Ampthill Town Council has resulted in the return of unusual plants such as ivy-leaved crowfoot to the wetland areas.
Recreation: Ampthill Park comprises approximately 160 acres of parkland & woodland, including a Children's Play Area, Toilets, Tennis Courts*, Ampthill Town Cricket Club, Ampthill Town Football Club and Ampthill Angling Club.
Charges are made in respect of camping by Cadet Organisations/Youth Clubs/School Parties, Orienteering, Cross Country Events, Caravan Parking by registered organisations, the release of pigeons & use by Circuses. Please contact the Council with your enquiries. Free parking available for users visiting the Park.
* The Tennis Courts are open to all and are free of charge to use but please confine your play to 30mins duration if there are other people who are waiting to play.
Brief History: Ampthill Park can be traced back to 1086, when it was part of the manor of Ampthill held by the Albini family.
Since the 15th century Ampthill Park has been the site of a royal residence and hunting ground, and a landscaped garden for generations of aristocratic residents of the Park House (also known as Great Park House).
Ampthill evolved as a market town in early medieval times. Its central location, on two main routes and strategic location at the foot of the Lower Greensand Ridge made it a focal point for the local agricultural community. In the 15th century Ampthill Castle, a fortified house was built by Sir John Cornwall, an ally of Henry V who had married Princess Elizabeth in 1400. After the death of Cornwall, the castle and estates were bought by Lord Edmund Grey of Wrest.
In the early 16th
century both the castle, Ampthill Park and nearby Houghton
Park became royal property. While Henry VII showed
little interest in Ampthill, Henry VIII used the castle and grounds for hunting.
His first wife, Katherine or Aragon was imprisoned there during and after
divorce proceedings. Towards the end of the century the castle was
neglected and ruinous by 1600.
In 1606 James I preferred to enlarge the Steward's house called the Great Lodge, rather than re-build the derelict castle. In 1661 Charles II gave the Park to John Ashburnham. Ampthill Park House was re-built between 1687-1689 under contract from the lease-holding Ossory family, by John Grumbold, the Cambridge mason and architect. It was altered between 1704-1707 under the direction of John Lumley and again by Robert Chambers between 1786-1772.
Concurrent with Chamber's work, Capability Brown was employed to transform the formal gardens to an open landscape and was responsible for the wooded perimeters, strategically placed stands of chestnut and pine, the winding west drive and the "Rezzy". The best of the former landscaping, such as the oak copses and lime tree drive designed by Chambers, were left by Brown.
In 1772-1773
Katherine's Cross was erected by the architect James Essex in the Gothic
style. He was influenced by the poet and writer Hugh Walpole, whose verse can be
seen on the cross today, commemorating the
imprisonment of the Queen. The cross is considered to be
an important monument by virtue of its rarity and social
history and is protected as a Grade II Listed
Building. Park House and the grounds were sold to the Bedford family in 1864. Coincidentally, Katherine's Cross gained
additional fame in the latter part of the 20th Century, as it was
at the base of this monument that the 'Golden Hare' was buried,
as detailed in Kit Williams book 'Masquerade'. To discover more information
visit the
'Masquerade' Web Site.
During this period the public were permitted to roam freely through the Park and enjoy organised sport. During the Great War 1914 - 1918 the Park was used as an army training camp. Immediately after the Second World War the Park accommodated a Prisoner of war camp. In the 1940s the Bedford family sold Park House and adjacent land to Bovril Limited. In 1947 the Park was sold to the predecessors of Ampthill Town Council for just under £11,000.
Visit the Ampthill History Page for more details about Ampthill's long history.
Useful Links
Greensand Trust Ampthill Town Council Greensand Ridge Walk Ampthill History Forum Ampthill Cricket Club Ampthill Football Club
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