Monument record IPS 249 - Christchurch Park, Ipswich.

Public park circa 28 ha, deriving from park of Priory (founded circa 1147) and mansion (1548, 1550, 1564, partly reconstructed 1675 after fire). House set on lawns formerly forecourt and bowling green; small formal garden to rear. Brick wall partly 16th but mostly 18th Century and later on line of former Priory enclosure wall. Double avenue to North of house. Remains of circles or clumps of trees. Upper Arboretum with circular pond, bandstand. Lower Arboretum. Two large ponds. Several Memorials (S1, S2).

1974: Casual observation of dressed Norman stone in dry stone wall.

1979: Topographical Survey, possible location of Norman castle..

1986: Trial excavation on area of sheds.

2003: DBA and Geophysical survey identified Christchurch Park as a modern urban park with an historic background as a medieval priory and post-medieval mansion, gardens, and later parkland. The small geophysical survey programme identified anomalies interpreted as deriving from both the monastic house and the early gardens. (S6).

2005: An evaluation was undertaken in 2005 to establish whether a waterlogged area in the park related to a pond feature depicted on historic maps of 1765. None of the pond was found to survive, although large amounts of brick fragments were recovered, which may have originated from the former pond lining and been deposited after the pond was removed and the site landscaped (S3).

See also:

2005: Monitoring of creation of car park area, brick culvert exposed.

2006: Evaluation and borehole survey, (S4).

2008: A watching brief during restoration works at Christchurch Park encountered several post-medieval features relating to the construction and use of the Tudor Mansion and its gardens. The remains included a N-S brick culvert, part of a demolished brick outbuilding, pathways and brick walls appearing to relate to a walled garden immediately to the south of the Mansion (S5).

S7 Describes fishponds as garden features, 1550-1850

S8 mentions air raid shelters at both Christchurch Park and 'W.S. Cowell Ltd in Market Lane'. At Christchurch ' when the human remains were uncovered regularly-spaced graves could be clearly discerned while there were indications of foundations either side of the area occupied by the graves. This suggested that the burials took place within one of the buildings of the Priory'. (see IPS 475?)