The Great Linford Manor Park Restoration

A pictorial history

In 2015, The Parks Trust secured funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for a project to reveal, revive and restore the historic gardens of Great Linford Manor Park. The situation in the park had become quite worrying; self-seeded trees had sprung up around the ponds, their roots damaging the stonework, while leaf fall was clogging the water. The engineering brickwork between the ponds was also failing, and the Hine Spring had almost completely ceased to flow. The far pond, cut off from the gardens by the canal in 1800, had also become severely overgrown and clogged with weed. This was not what the original designers of the park, several hundred years prior, would have wished to see, and so in 2020, work began to restore the gardens.

The park before the restoration

The circular pond with self seeded trees surrounding it. November 10th, 2019.

Almshouses overlooking circular pond. July 2nd, 2019.

The second pond and the bridge over the cascade from the round pond. May 15th, 2019.

The Hine Spring, nornally hidden under a manhole cover. Photo credit James Cairncross,

The remains of the Doric Seat. August 28th, 2020.

Far pond, North of canal. 2019.

The cascade, far pond. April 21st 2019.

Removal of trees

One of the first tasks was the removal of the self-seeded trees around the circular pond. 

Self-deeded trees removed from the edge of the circular pond. February 23rd, 2020.

Self-deeded trees removed from the edge of the circular pond. April 2nd, 2020.

Drainage and dredging of the ponds

As the ponds drained, it was fascinating to see the original stonework of the circular pond came back into view. The dredging was done carefully, with the large piles of sludge created left for several months so as to provide the means for aquatic life to seek refuge.

The draining of the ponds under way. December 17th, 2020.

Sludge banked up around the ponds. 28th March 2021.

Engineering brickwork added

In order to help increase the flow of water from the Hine Spring, brick walls were added to direct the water. This engineering brickwork would be covered up later in the project with limestone blocks.

Engineering brickwork under constuction. March 31st, 2021.

Brickwork base for the replacement cascade bridge. In background, the stone finish to the new retaining wall for the second pond. June 13th, 2021.

Stone cladding added to the cascade bridge. July 17th, 2021.

New pathways added

As the work on the ponds continued and with the spoil heaps removed, new paths were laid throughout the park.

New paths under construction. July 29th, 2021.

The ponds begin to refill

It was astounding how quickly the ponds began to refill with water.

Ponds refilling with water. August 18th, 2021.

New canal weir under construction

The weir installed by the Milton Keynes Development Corporation in the 1970s had failed, and needed replacing. Water is carried under the canal through the original tunnel built in 1800 to the far pond on the other side of the canal.

Work under way on the new weir. August 18th, 2021.

The new Doric Seat

The Doric Seat located in the Wilderness had been almost completely lost due to vandalism, with only the footprint remaining of the impressive structure. To rebuild it completely would have been prohibitively expensive, but work was begun on creating a fitting monument to this once grand folly.

Doruc Seat under construction. August 29th, 2021.

Work in progress August 2021

The park takes shape

Just waiting for the grass to grow. September 24th, 2021.

View from round pond cascade walkway. September 24th, 2021.

The far pond cascade

Before the coming of the canal in 1800, there were four ponds forming a cascading water garden in the park. The third pond was destroyed by the canal, but the forth survived, almost forgotten, and as clear by the earlier photographs, almost choked beyond recognition by vegetation and silt.

Thr forth pond restoration under way, including a new set of steps leading from Railway Walk. November 5th, 2021.

The new cascade in full flow. December 4th, 2021.

The Doric Seat complete

The new Doric Seat completed. July 1st 2022.

The Hine Spring

The Hine Spring (an old English word for Peasant or Serf) had been a vital part of village life for hundreds of years. It was recorded on estate maps of 1641 and 1678 as the "Hine Well", and it was still the principal source of water for the Almshouses residents, perhaps as late as the 1950s. By the early 2000s, it was lost beneath a manhole cover and had virtually ceased to flow. The restoration included the installation of an impressive new water feature, bringing the Hine Spring back to life in the 21st century.

Stonework components of the new Hine Spring water feature arrive and are laid out ready for installation. Also pictured, the stonework for the main information point in the park. July 3rd, 2022.

The Hine Spring prior to the completion of its decorative stonework. July 14th, 2022.

The Hine Spring decorative stonework installed. July 23rd, 2022.

The Hine Spring path installed. August 8th, 2022.

The Hine Spring, prior to the installation of its decorative spout. September 14th, 2022.

Last touches

By October 2022, the plantings were well under way, and only a few barriers remained before the public could fully enjoy the park again.

The park almost fully open. October 3rd, 2022.

The park finally without barriers and fences. October 6th, 2022.

The park today

Watching the transformation of the park during the restoration work and seeing behind the scenes of this mammoth undertaking was an extraordinary privilege, and the results surely speak for themselves.

You can read more about the restoration of Great Linford Manor Park on the Parks Trust website.