The Creation of Whitehurst Gardens
he walled garden now known as Whitehurst Gardens has a history dating back to just after the Civil War, over 360 years ago. The story of the garden is intimately linked with the history of Chirk castle in the days of Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate following the war, and bound to the fate of the Myddleton family, custodians of the castle since the early years of the 17th Century.
General Sir Thomas Myddleton fought for the Parliamentarian cause when the Civil War broke out in 1642. He held Chirk castle until ousted by the Royalists the following year. For the next three years, the castle remained loyal to King Charles I under the command of Sir John Watts. However, in 1645 Myddleton's eldest son, also Sir Thomas, became Chirk's governor after the castle had been regained by the Parliamentarians through bribery. He retained Chirk for the Roundheads until the end of the war in 1648, but soon became disillusioned with Cromwell's republic. His disgust at the execution of the king in 1649 resulted in his exclusion from Parliament that same year. In 1651, Sir Thomas' antagonism against Cromwell came to a head when he was forced to pay a bond of £10,000 to secure his good behaviour, and his garrison at Chirk castle was removed from him. Sir Thomas, once a hero of war, was now powerless and humiliated.
The earliest material evidence we have for the construction of Whitehurst Gardens is a keystone above the gateway between the first and second terraces, marked 'TM 1651'. It seems that in this year of his downfall, Thomas Myddleton sought solace in the gentle arts of the garden. Sir Thomas situated his new garden two miles from the castle itself, although despite this it was originally known as 'Chirk Castle Garden'. Why did he do this? The castle, built on high ground, was unsuitable for fruit growing, and we know that the garden contained an orchard of exotic fruit trees from the early years of its existence. The Duke of Beaufort, Lord President of Wales stopped here when passing through Wales in 1684, and his equerry, Thomas Dinely, describes the "walled Garden of Trees, Plants, Flowers and Herbs of the greatest rarity, as well forreigne as of Great Britain, Orrenge and Lemon Trees, the sensitive Plant, &c, where, in a Banquetting-house , a Collation of choise Fruit and Wines was lodged by the sayd Sr RICHARD MYDDLETON to entertein his Grace in this his flourishing Plantation".
Dinely's mention of a banqueting house gives us another clue as to why the garden was located where it was. The castle is quite far from the main arterial road, and even today it's an invigorating climb off the beaten track to reach it. Sir Thomas may well have wanted somewhere more convenient where he could entertain prominent guests, and the road alongside which the gardens were sited was a direct route between Wrexham, Llangollen, Oswestry and Shrewsbury. As the present day A5, it's still a very busy thoroughfare. There are records of many travellers stopping off at the gardens including circuit judges and, as early as 1656, Major General James Berry, one of Cromwell’s commanders.
Perhaps another reason for the garden's siting was the possible existence of the mound there. The mound, which can still be seen today, was almost certainly used as a viewing mount. It is depicted as such in Thomas Badeslade’s 1735 engraving (pictured above). You can imagine Sir Thomas proudly showing off his new gardens to his visitors from the top of it. However, there are theories that the mount was originally an early motte and bailey castle, possibly constructed by the Normans to consolidate land captured during their invasion of Wales between 1081 and 1094. Erddig Hall and Dunham Massey in Cheshire have examples of mottes adapted in more peaceful times as viewing mounts, so the situation is in no way unique.
The gardens were constructed within an area long-dedicated as the pleasure grounds of the lords of Chirk castle: Black Park. In times gone by, the area had been a wooded deer park and a prime hunting ground – yet another old name for the site was Black Park Gardens. The area had had a long tradition for being the playground of the rich and powerful even before the gardens were constructed, and Sir Thomas continued this tradition into the seventeenth century.
General Sir Thomas Myddleton fought for the Parliamentarian cause when the Civil War broke out in 1642. He held Chirk castle until ousted by the Royalists the following year. For the next three years, the castle remained loyal to King Charles I under the command of Sir John Watts. However, in 1645 Myddleton's eldest son, also Sir Thomas, became Chirk's governor after the castle had been regained by the Parliamentarians through bribery. He retained Chirk for the Roundheads until the end of the war in 1648, but soon became disillusioned with Cromwell's republic. His disgust at the execution of the king in 1649 resulted in his exclusion from Parliament that same year. In 1651, Sir Thomas' antagonism against Cromwell came to a head when he was forced to pay a bond of £10,000 to secure his good behaviour, and his garrison at Chirk castle was removed from him. Sir Thomas, once a hero of war, was now powerless and humiliated.
The earliest material evidence we have for the construction of Whitehurst Gardens is a keystone above the gateway between the first and second terraces, marked 'TM 1651'. It seems that in this year of his downfall, Thomas Myddleton sought solace in the gentle arts of the garden. Sir Thomas situated his new garden two miles from the castle itself, although despite this it was originally known as 'Chirk Castle Garden'. Why did he do this? The castle, built on high ground, was unsuitable for fruit growing, and we know that the garden contained an orchard of exotic fruit trees from the early years of its existence. The Duke of Beaufort, Lord President of Wales stopped here when passing through Wales in 1684, and his equerry, Thomas Dinely, describes the "walled Garden of Trees, Plants, Flowers and Herbs of the greatest rarity, as well forreigne as of Great Britain, Orrenge and Lemon Trees, the sensitive Plant, &c, where, in a Banquetting-house , a Collation of choise Fruit and Wines was lodged by the sayd Sr RICHARD MYDDLETON to entertein his Grace in this his flourishing Plantation".
Dinely's mention of a banqueting house gives us another clue as to why the garden was located where it was. The castle is quite far from the main arterial road, and even today it's an invigorating climb off the beaten track to reach it. Sir Thomas may well have wanted somewhere more convenient where he could entertain prominent guests, and the road alongside which the gardens were sited was a direct route between Wrexham, Llangollen, Oswestry and Shrewsbury. As the present day A5, it's still a very busy thoroughfare. There are records of many travellers stopping off at the gardens including circuit judges and, as early as 1656, Major General James Berry, one of Cromwell’s commanders.
Perhaps another reason for the garden's siting was the possible existence of the mound there. The mound, which can still be seen today, was almost certainly used as a viewing mount. It is depicted as such in Thomas Badeslade’s 1735 engraving (pictured above). You can imagine Sir Thomas proudly showing off his new gardens to his visitors from the top of it. However, there are theories that the mount was originally an early motte and bailey castle, possibly constructed by the Normans to consolidate land captured during their invasion of Wales between 1081 and 1094. Erddig Hall and Dunham Massey in Cheshire have examples of mottes adapted in more peaceful times as viewing mounts, so the situation is in no way unique.
The gardens were constructed within an area long-dedicated as the pleasure grounds of the lords of Chirk castle: Black Park. In times gone by, the area had been a wooded deer park and a prime hunting ground – yet another old name for the site was Black Park Gardens. The area had had a long tradition for being the playground of the rich and powerful even before the gardens were constructed, and Sir Thomas continued this tradition into the seventeenth century.