The Water Garden at Bushy Park

Bushy was one of the three parks enclosed by Cardinal Wolsey in the early 16th century as part of his Hampton Court estate which was built from 1515 and given to Henry VIII along with the palace in 1525. Numerous smaller ponds and other water features in Bushy Park have been added at various times since the 16th century. In 1710 Charles Montagu, Earl of Halifax rebuilt his official residence, Upper Lodge, and set about improving the grounds. Halifax exploited three different sources of water to create his Water Gardens. He straightened the route of the Longford River from its entry into the park, leading into the newly-formed Octagonal Basin and over the five-tier cascade into the lower pool, returning the water to the Longford River for the necessary onward water supply to Hampton Court Palace. The shape of the lower pool is unusual and copies one at Boughton House in Northamptonshire, constructed a few years earlier by Halifax’s uncle, John Montagu. Restoration of the Water Garden was completed by the Royal Parks in 2009.

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