Orangery Lawn, Hampton Court Palace

Between the 26th of February and the 7th of March 2007 Oxford Archaeology (OA) carried out an archaeological investigation within the Lower Orangery Garden, at Hampton Court Palace. The work was commissioned by Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) during the re-ordering of the garden in front of the Lower Orangery. Remains were found of a set of brick steps descending into a sunken east-west garden dating to the period of William and Mary. A single brick wall was also found showing that one of the earlier pond gardens was extended northwards at the same time. Following Mary’s death in 1694, these short-lived structures (which appear on a Talman plan of 1699) were swept away by the construction of the Lower Orangery, c 1700. Debris from this operation was excavated and contained Dutch floor tiles, probably from three Glass Cases (greenhouses) which preceded the Orangery. A brick-built culvert was uncovered and is considered to be part of the drainage system constructed by Wren. No conclusive evidence was found for the early 18th-century layout of the garden in front of the Lower Orangery.