Well Hall Pleasaunce

Mediaeval stone bridge over the moat

I recently visited Well Hall Pleasaunce in South London. I went there occasionally in the past, when I lived closer, and the last time I saw it was about 15 years ago, when I found it to be fallen into neglect, with bare beds and empty ponds. At that time I was rather disappointed to see it in such a poor state, and wished that it could be brought back to its former glory. Happily, the park refurbishment was completed in May 2003*, made possible by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, and it is now in immaculate condition, an oasis of green space and flower gardens surrounded by the residential suburbs of Eltham* and Kidbrooke.

*Long slash representing current century, see www.long-live-pitmans-shorthand.org.uk/vocabulary-numbers.htm#long-slash

*Pronounced "Eltam" here, but may be different for same placename elsewhere in England. The second dot is the vowel before the M, and not after the halved L stroke.

Pleasaunce (also spelled pleasance) means pleasure garden. The general countryside in the past was not necessarily seen as an outdoor play area, like we do today, with few roads and little safety for anyone to travel through. It was either farmed or wildwood, and all the parks, as we know them today, would have been the private grounds of grand mansions and palaces, reserved for royalty, lords and ladies, and their retinue, for recreation, supply of provisions and hunting.

The Well Hall estate dates from the 13th century. It was bought by the Borough in 1930 and opened as a community pleasaunce in 1933. The central feature is the moated island, although the manor house* that once occupied it was demolished in 1733 and it is now a flat paved area with seats and hedges. The only building that remains is the Tudor Barn alongside the moat, a red brick building which was used for storage and servants’ quarters*. It is now a café, restaurant and function venue.

*You could phrase "manor house" using the stroke S and dot Hay, see
http://www.long-live-pitmans-shorthand.org.uk/theory-12-hay-aspirate.htm#beerhouse for numerous examples

* "quarter" can also be written by doubling the stroke, thus omitting the middle R

Rose garden

Next to the moat is a large square rose garden, quartered by crossing paths, with rose beds in geometrical shapes each containing one colour of flower. Along the edges are ornamental cherry and crab apple trees, and around the perimeter are wide herbaceous borders filled with tall plants, backed by ancient high brick walls. The replanting was designed to reflect the original 1930’s design. 


In the centre of the square is a circular sunken pond surrounded by a low rock wall. The tall fountain is shaped like a pile of rocks, above which are three fishes supporting two dishes and topped by two child figures holding the water spout. The fish have dolphin-like faces with forward facing eyes and beaks, copying the traditional depictions of large sea fish (and monsters) before accurate portrayal of real sea creatures was possible. The constant water flow has led to the growth of long strings of blanket weed hanging from the bowls and blowing in the breeze. Behind the rose garden is a bowling green with traditional wooden hut at one end and a wooden seating bower at the other. Beyond the trees to one side is a bog garden with tall waving grasses and a duckweed covered pond.

Repaired bee boles and straw skep

The ancient mediaeval walls around the rose garden have been repaired and some of the bee boles replaced, with a reproduction skep placed in one of them. Others have been bricked up many years ago. Although the pleasaunce is now mainly ornamental gardens the estate would have originally produced food for the manor house and of course the skeps yielding a supply of honey, as well as providing pollinators for the fruit orchards and vegetable plots.

The wall is leaning at the same
angle as the buttresses

The perimeter wall in the second photo is leaning at an alarming angle and has had hefty buttresses added all along its length to hold it up. The buttress brickwork also appears to be quite old so this wall must have been* leaning for a considerable time*. Although it looks quite dangerous, it is probably stronger than the original wall as it is now made up of a row of stable triangles; however I would definitely not recommend climbing on top of it!

* "must (have) been" omits the "have"

* "for (a) considerable time" - omits the "a" and halves the B for the T of "time". See more at http://www.long-live-pitmans-shorthand.org.uk/phrasing2-theory.htm#Halving

At the south end is the Italianate garden with a sunken area and beyond it the Long Pond with tall fir trees lining the straight stone path. This year’s planting is very colourful, being mainly intense hot reds and oranges achieved by a dense planting of dahlias and coleus amongst the clipped box balls. The rectangular pond is also quite colourful, being colonised by cloud-like clumps of bright green blanket weed in between the white water lilies with glossy green leaves and tangled red stems. The spraying fountain in the centre provides both movement and sound. There are no fish, which I was rather glad about as the pond is quite shallow, and the only wildlife I saw were water boatmen paddling and rowing their way around just beneath the surface. On a hot summer’s day it would be pleasant to sit on the stonework of the low walls or on the shallow steps, with the stones warmed by the sun, rather than using the wooden seats.

At the far end is a wisteria-covered pergola, no flowers at this time of year, so this has been noted for another visit in spring when it will be festooned with masses of hanging purple flowers. To the rear of the gardens are woodland walks and a glen, which invite a further visit with the camera when the trees turn to their autumn colours. A well laid-out garden is attractive at all times of the year and I think that even in wintry weather, this garden will be of interest, especially when the frost covers the seed heads in the borders, and the long shadows pick out the shapes of the low box hedging. (930 words)

www.wellhall.org.uk