Continuing with the story of James
West's parkland started yesterday, today we shall look at a conspicuous relic of the elaborate
park. This mound of earth, in the Lower Park near the footpath, gives the field
its alternative name of 'The Mound'.
Mounds of this kind, like the other
buildings James erected, are often known as 'follies' – they had no purpose
other than an ostentatious display of grandeur. This section of the park once
had its own herd of fallow deer – old photographs show the unevenly heighted
wooden palings which deer will never jump over – and this mound was erected for
the rutting stags for fight on. It was carefully positioned to be visible from
Alscot Park, so the family and their guests could admire the spectacle in
comfort.
Another mound stood on the brow of
the hill, now obscured by the E-Wood, and was intended as a viewpoint. Before
the wood was planted in the 1970s, a view of several miles could be admired in
all directions.
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