Development of
the Deer Park
The
growth of the deer Park is reasonably clear. It was originally a long stretch
between two sold banks of trees, and certainly was so in 1730, as it appears on
a drawing by Edmond Prideaux [ held by The Devon Records Office ], which
shows the original Gate House, viewed from the Long Acre Room. I suspect that
this room was used by Edmond Prideaux.
Edmond
Prideaux shows on another drawing, the East elevation of Prideaux Place, in the
foreground are formal gardens at the entrance of the deer park, or “Long Acre”,
the formal gardens date from around 1730, probably one of Edmond’s first garden
alterations.
It
would appear that the Long Acre became a Deer Park, proper, around 1750 as part
of Humphrey Prideaux’s new work, which shows fully on Borlase’ drawing of 1756
( published 1758 ). Humphrey has demolished the formal gardens, so the Deer
Park is visble from the road, and the Gate
House has been demolished to give a clear view over the Deer Park to the
River Camel.
The
1842 Tithe Map is helpful in showing a new hedge dividing the long field into
two.
Family
photographs show the new fencing and are annotated as dating from 1895.
Raymond Forward