This thesis aims to consider to what extent the archives and assemblages from garden archaeology projects are useful for research, using a case study: a 1985-1987 restoration-led excavation in the early-19th century parterre garden at Audley End House (Essex). Firstly, it synthesises the historiography and theoretical paradigms of archaeological research in country houses and their gardens, focusing on the methodologies and outcomes of restoration-led garden excavations in the later-20th century. The thesis then takes a chronological and thematic approach to the Audley End parterre project archive, integrating a reassessment of the structural and horticultural evidence revealed during excavation with an analysis of the domestic material culture assemblage, providing new insights into Audley End and its gardens.
This thesis collates, evaluates, and contextualises evidence for pre-garden site use that was glimpsed during the excavation of the parterre flowerbeds, thus exploring the successive development of different buildings including Walden Abbey (c.1141-1538) and the Dissolution- era courtyard house, Audley Inn (1538-c.1605). It outlines the archaeological record of the 1832 parterre, situating it within the revival of formal garden design and contemporary horticultural advice. However, it also considers how the palimpsestic nature of formal gardens and the selective removal of archaeological deposits limit the development of holistic interpretations.
The thesis also analyses the object biographies of medieval and post-medieval domestic material culture types (pottery, vessel glass, clay pipes, and small finds), providing insight into various facets of country house life including dining, drinking, and household management. It presents an original consideration of the potential depositional trajectories of artefacts into garden beds. Finally, this thesis considers other parterre garden excavations (Kirby Hall, Castle Bromwich, Hampton Court Palace, and Witley Court) to place the Audley End Parterre archaeological archive and material culture assemblage in its wider context, thus considering the opportunities and challenges in garden archaeology today.
