A chromolithograph of Cassiobury House, published around 1880.

Cassiobury Park is a public open space and the principal amenity area ^[1] of Watford, Hertfordshire, in England. It comprises over 190 acres and extends from the A412 Rickmansworth Road in the east to the Grand Union Canal in the west. Image File history File linksMetadata Cassiobury_park_1888. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Cassiobury_park_1888. ... Chromolithography was the first method for making true multi color prints. ... A woodcut of Cassiobury House as it was in 1707. ... Watford is a town and district in Hertfordshire, England, situated 34 km (21 miles) northwest of London and within the bounds of the M25 motorway. ... Hertfordshire (pronounced Hartfordshire and abbreviated as Herts) is an inland county in the United Kingdom and part of the East of England Government Office region. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... The canal at Braunston The Grand Union Canal is a canal in England and part of the British canal system. ...

Etymology

The name "Cassio" is ancient. The earliest known spelling is Caegesho, which may derive from the Old English caegs, meaning "a spur of land". "Bury" is a common suffix in English place names. It comes from the Old English word for a fortified place, "burh", whose dative, "byrig", means "by the fort", or "by the manor". Old English (also called Anglo-Saxon) is an early form of the English language that was spoken in parts of what is now England and southern Scotland between the mid-fifth century and the mid-twelfth century. ...

Appearance

Much of the park is covered by mown grass and scattered trees. There are notable specimens of American oaks such as the Pin Oak Quercus palustris Muenchh. and the Scarlet Oak Q. coccinea Muenchh. The Cedar of Lebanon Cedrus libani A. Richard is a prominent feature, though some of the older and unsafe specimens have been removed. Many more recent plantings of exotics have been made, such as Swamp Cypress Taxodium distichum (L.) Richards and various Asian rowans Sorbus spp. Species See List of Quercus species The term oak can be used as part of the common name of any of several hundred species of trees and shrubs in the genus Quercus, and some related genera, notably Cyclobalanopsis and Lithocarpus. ... Binomial name Quercus palustris Muenchh. ... Binomial name Quercus coccinea Muenchh. ... Binomial name Cedrus libani A. Rich. ... Species Taxodium ascendens - Pond Cypress Taxodium distichum - Bald Cypress Taxodium mucronatum - Montezuma Cypress Taxodium is a genus of one to three species (depending on taxonomic opinion) of extremely flood-tolerant conifers in the cypress family, Cupressaceae, one of several genera in the family commonly known as cypresses. ... Species Sorbus subgenus Sorbus Sorbus aucuparia - European Rowan Sorbus americana - American mountain ash Sorbus cashmeriana - Kashmir Rowan Sorbus commixta - Japanese Rowan Sorbus decora - Showy mountain ash Sorbus glabrescens - White-fruited Rowan Sorbus hupehensis - Hubei Rowan Sorbus matsumurana Sorbus sargentiana - Sargents Rowan Sorbus scalaris - Ladder Rowan Sorbus sitchensis - Sitka mountain...

The park slopes generally downhill from east to west, into the alluvial valley of the River Gade. The broadly meandering river and its bridges add much charm; the canal takes a more direct route. The direction of flow is north to south. The Gade is a tributary of the Colne, which ultimately flows into the Thames at Staines. The River Gade is a river in England. ... The Colne is a river in England. ... Several places exist with the name Thames, and the word is also used as part of several brand and company names Most famous is the River Thames in England, on which the city of London stands Other Thames Rivers There is a Thames River in Canada There is a Thames... Staines is a Thames-side town in the Spelthorne borough of Surrey and part of the London Commuter Belt of South East England. ...

A stream near the River Gade.

The valley is partly wooded. Some of the woodland is rather wet and gloomy, but very beautiful; alder Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn. is frequent beside the streams. Here also may be found the remains of beds and ditches for growing watercress Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum (L.) Hayek. These are largely silted up and overgrown, but the original springs are still flowing. Beyond the river and canal the ground rises quite steeply to the West Herts Golf Course, beyond which lies Whippendell Wood. The whole area is freely accessible and surprisingly unspoilt, given its proximity to London, about 20 miles away. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 97 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Photographs by en:User:Puffball who asked me to upload them under the GFDL. File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 97 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Photographs by en:User:Puffball who asked me to upload them under the GFDL. File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia... The River Gade is a river in England. ... Binomial name Alnus glutinosa L. Black Alder (Alnus glutinosa) is an alder tree native to most of Europe, including all of Britain, and locally in southwest Asia. ... The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, generally regarded as the worlds Home of Golf. Golf is a sport in which individual players or teams hit a ball into a hole using various clubs, and also is one of the few ball games that does not use... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

Man-made structures in the park include a complex of paddling-pools and an adjacent children's railway near the Gade, tennis-courts, a bowling green, a system of all-weather asphalt paths, and a number of shelters. Bowling Green is the name of some places in the United States of America: Bowling Green, Florida, named after the town in Kentucky. ...

Natural history

The bird-life of the formal areas is typical of parkland in southern England. Nuthatches like the old timber; spotted flycatchers the more open ground; and redwings and fieldfares the more open ground yet. Common and black-headed, and sometimes lesser black-backed and herring, gulls form loose flocks on the lower reaches towards the Gade.

The canal, the river and its associated streams provide more interest for the bird-watcher. Teal Anas crecca, Water Rail Rallus aquaticus, Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea, Grey Heron Ardea cinerea and Kingfisher Alcedo atthis are regular visitors or resident. Especially in freezing weather, the disused cress-beds can yield waders: most often Snipe Gallinago gallinago, but also Redshank Tringa totanus and Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus and, more rarely, Jack Snipe Lymnocryptes minimus and Dunlin Calidris alpina. Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta may also be found here in winter, and in January 1965, on some cress-ditches which have now been filled in, up to four spotted crakes Porzana porzana were present. The valley is a good place to see Willow Tit Parus montanus, Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus, and Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus. The alders attract flocks of Siskin Carduelis spinus and Redpoll C. flammea. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos minor is frequent ^[2] Binomial name Anas crecca Linnaeus, 1758 The Common Teal or Teal (Anas crecca) is a common and widespread duck which breeds in the northernmost areas of Europe and Asia. ... Binomial name Rallus aquaticus Linnaeus, 1758 The Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus) is a small wetland bird of the rail family. ... Binomial name Motacilla cinerea Tunstall, 1771 The Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) is a small passerine in the wagtail family Motacillidae, which also includes the pipits and longclaws. ... Binomial name Ardea cinerea Linnaeus, 1758 The Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae. ... Binomial name Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus, 1758) The European Kingfisher or Common Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis, is widely distributed in Europe, Africa, and Asia. ... Binomial name Gallinago gallinago Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies The Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) is a small, stocky shorebird. ... Binomial name Tringa totanus (Linnaeus, 1758) They have really long beaks for sticking them up the anus of another bird The Common Redshank or Redshank (Tringa totanus) is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae, the typical waders. ... Binomial name Tringa ochropus Linnaeus, 1758 The Green Sandpiper, Tringa ochropus, is a small wader. ... Binomial name Lymnocryptes minimus (Brunnich, 1764) The Jack Snipe, Lymnocryptes minimus is a small stocky wader. ... Binomial name Calidris alpina (Linnaeus, 1758) The Dunlin, Calidris alpina, is a small wader. ... Binomial name Anthus spinoletta (Linnaeus, 1758) The Water Pipit, Anthus spinoletta, is a small passerine bird which breeds in the mountains of southern Europe and southern temperate Asia across to China. ... Binomial name Porzana porzana Linnaeus, 1766 The Spotted Crake (Porzana porzana) is a small waterbird, of the family Rallidae. ... Binomial name Poecile montana (Conrad von Baldenstein, 1827) Synonyms Parus montanus The Willow Tit (Poecile montana) is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. ... Binomial name Emberiza schoeniclus (Linnaeus, 1758) The Reed Bunting, Emberiza schoeniclus, is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae. ... Binomial name Acrocephalus schoenobaenus (Linnaeus,, 1758) The Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. ... Binomial name Carduelis spinus Linnaeus, 1758 The Eurasian Siskin, or just Siskin in Europe, Carduelis spinus, is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. ... Species Carduelis flammea Carduelis cabaret Carduelis hornemanni The Redpolls are a group of small passerine birds in the finch family Fringillidae which have characteristic red markings on their heads. ... Binomial name Picoides minor (Linnaeus, 1758) The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Picoides minor) is a member of the woodpecker family Picidae. ...

Some of the old ditches and surrounding woodland have been made into a local nature reserve. Marsh Marigold Caltha palustris L. grows here, and there is a fairly large bed of Great Reed-mace Typha latifolia L. Binomial name Caltha palustris L. The marsh marigold or Caltha palustris is a perennial herbaceous plant of wet places with large attractive yellow flowers borne in late spring. ...

An obvious feature of the riverside flora are three species of balsams: Small Balsam Impatiens parviflora DC, Jewel-weed I. capensis Meerburgh, and Policeman's Helmet I. glandulifera Royle. These are said to be escapes from the canal-wharves, where they arrived with consignments of imported timber.

History

In 793 CE the town of Watford is thought to have been part of the Manor of Cashio, belonging to the Monastery and Abbey of St Albans. Cayshobury Grove and Wheppinddon [Whippendell] Grove are mentioned in the Domesday Book (1069). Generic plan of a mediaeval manor; open-field strip farming, some enclosures, triennial crop rotation, demesne and manse, common woodland, pasturage and meadow Manorialism or Seigneurialism is the organization of rural economy and society in medieval western and parts of central Europe, characterised by the vesting of legal and economic... St Albans is the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans in southern Hertfordshire, England, around 22 miles (35. ... A line drawing entitled Domesday Book from Andrew Williamss Historic Byways and Highways of Old England. ...

"The abbey of St Albans holds Caissou. It answers for 20 hides: of these the abbot holds 19. There is land for 22 ploughs."

Pasture and pannage for a thousand hogs are also mentioned. Pannage is an English legal term for the practice of turning out domestic pigs in a wood or forest, in order that they may feed on such things as fallen acorns or beechmast. ...

When King Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in 1539, Watford town was divided from Cashio and Henry made himself Lord of the Manor of Cassiobury. In 1546 he granted the Manor to Sir Richard Morrison, who started to build a large house in extensive gardens, but had not made much progress by 1553 when he went into exile abroad. The estate grounds were much larger than they are today, reaching as far as North Watford and southwards almost to Moor Park. Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) from 22 April 1509 until his death. ...

After the death of his father in 1556, Sir Charles Morrison continued building and completed the mansion, Cassiobury House. It had 56 rooms, a long gallery, stables, a dairy and a brewhouse.

William Camden's Britannia of 1583 describes Watford thus: William Camden William Camden (May 2, 1551 - November 9, 1623) was an English antiquarian and historian. ... Britannia on a 2005 £2 coin. ...

"WATFORDE or WATELINEFORDE crosseth the Colne nere this place and so coasteth to old Verlame [St Albans] as is sayd before [John Norden, Hartfordshire]. Somewhat lower I saw Watford and Rickmansworth two mercate towns; concerning which I had read nothing of greater antiquity than this, that king Offa liberally gave them unto St Albans; as also Casiobery next unto Watford. In which place Sir Richard Morisin knight, a great learned man, and who had beene used in Embassages to the mightiest princes, under king Henrie the Eighth and king Edward the Sixth began to build a house, which Sir Charles his sonne finally finished."

In 1610 Sir Charles Morrison's daughter, Elizabeth, was baptized at Watford parish church. In 1627 she married Arthur Capel (1610-1649) and the estate passed into the Capel family. The Capels were settled at Hadham, in Essex, but after the marriage they became closely associated with Cassiobury. The coat of arms of the Capel family appears on the badge of Cassiobury Junior School; the name "Lady Capel" persists at Lady Capel's Wharf, which is beside the Grand Union Canal a mile or so north of the park and was the place where goods were unloaded for Watford. Arthur Capel, 1st Baron Capel (c. ...

Lord Capel was condemned in 1649 for his loyalty to Charles I and beheaded outside Westminster Hall. His son, also named Arthur (1631-1683), also married an Elizabeth and was Morrison's great-great-grandson. Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. ... Arthur Capell, 1st Earl of Essex (1631 - July 13, 1683), whose surname is often spelled Capel, was an English statesman. ...

At the Restoration, King Charles II made Arthur Capel Earl of Essex and the estate was returned to the family. King Charles II, the first monarch to rule after the English Restoration. ...

Arthur Capel, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, commissioned Hugh May to rebuild the Tudor house, incorporating the original north-west wing. The new house was laid out on an "H" ground-plan, popular during that period, and was filled with fine things. The first earl also started developing the park, importing many exotic trees. There was much delay and expense. The earl wrote from Ireland telling his brother to hasten the work at Official standard of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (plural: Lords Lieutenant), also known as the Judiciar in the early mediaeval period and as the Lord Deputy as late as the 17th century, was the Kings representative and head of the Irish executive during the...

"Cashiobery and of the covering of it and that it should be done with all dispatch imaginable ... for unless this part of the house be roofed and tiled before I come, I do not know how I shall be able to lie one night there."

The Capels were patrons of the arts and engaged Grinling Gibbons (1648-1721), the Dutch-English sculptor and wood-carver. Moses Cook (died 1715) laid out the grounds for the 2nd earl; he devised many woodland walks and avenues. In 1672, it is said, an avenue of 296 lime trees was planted, linking the gardens to Whippendell Wood. Remnants of this can still be seen today. However, ring-counts of fallen trees suggest that the avenue dates from about 1720. George London (died 1714) and the royal gardener Charles Bridgeman (died 1738) also worked at Cassiobury. One of the many bookcase carvings Gibbons made for the Wren Library, Cambridge. ... George London could refer to two different people: George London: American operatic baritone George London: Landscape architect. ... Charles Bridgeman (1690-1738) was an English garden designer in the onset of the naturalistic landscape style. ...

On 16 April, 1680, John Evelyn (1620-1706) accompanied Gibbons there. John Evelyn (October 31, 1620 – February 27, 1706) was an English writer, gardener and diarist. ...

"On the earnest invitation of the Earl of Essex, I went with him to his house at Cassioberie in Hertfordshire. The house is new, a plaine fabric built by my friend Mr. Hugh May, there are divers faire and good rooms and excellent carvings by Grinling Gibbons, especially the chimney piece of the library ... [but] the soil is stony, churlish and uneven, nor is the water near enough to the house though a very swift and clear stream runs within a flight shot of it. The valley which may fitly be called Colnbrook, it being indeed excessive cold, yet producing fair trouts ... it is a pity that the house was not situated to more advantage, but it seems it was built just where the old one was."

By 1683 André Lenotre (1613-1700), the French architect and ornamental gardener to Louis XIV, was engaged on planting trees on the estate. Sun King redirects here. ...

In the same year Arthur Capel was implicated in the Rye House plot, accused of plotting to assassinate Charles II. Like his father before him, Arthur was imprisoned in the Tower of London. In July 1687 he was found dead at the Tower, his throat cut, apparently by his own hand. The Rye House Plot of 1683 was a plan to assassinate King Charles II of England and his brother (and heir to the throne) James, Duke of York. ... Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was the King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland from 30 January 1649 (de jure) or 29 May 1660 (de facto) until his death. ... Her Majestys Royal Palace and Fortress The Tower of London, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically simply as The Tower), is a historic monument in central London, England on the north bank of the River Thames. ...

A woodcut of Cassiobury House as it was in 1707.

The Grand Union Canal dates from the late eighteenth century. The 4th earl was one of the noblemen on the board of the canal company; at his insistence the canal was widened and landscaped where it passed through his property. The northward view from Iron Bridge (Canal Bridge No. 167) is picturesque and must be one of the most photographed in Hertfordshire. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 396 pixel Image in higher resolution (1889 × 934 pixel, file size: 711 KB, MIME type: image/png) The scans come from WATFORD: A PICTORIAL HISTORY by Dennis F. Edwards (ISBN 0 85033 834 4), published in 1992 by Phillimore. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 396 pixel Image in higher resolution (1889 × 934 pixel, file size: 711 KB, MIME type: image/png) The scans come from WATFORD: A PICTORIAL HISTORY by Dennis F. Edwards (ISBN 0 85033 834 4), published in 1992 by Phillimore. ... A woodcut of Cassiobury House as it was in 1707. ... The canal at Braunston The Grand Union Canal is a canal in England and part of the British canal system. ... Hertfordshire (pronounced Hartfordshire and abbreviated as Herts) is an inland county in the United Kingdom and part of the East of England Government Office region. ...

Looking northwards from Iron Bridge.

The 5th earl of Essex arrived at Cassiobury in 1799 and commissioned James Wyatt (1746-1813) to remodel the house. Wyatt specialized in the Romantic Gothic style. Most of the rebuilding was finished by 1805. The new house comprised a large number of rooms, the main ones being the Winter Drawing Room, with family portraits by Lely and Van Dyck; the Crimson Drawing Room, with Canaletto, Gainsborough, Morland, and Reynolds; the Inner Library, which also had portraits by Reynolds; and the Great Library, in which were busts of the Duke of Bedford, the Duke of Wellington, Napoleon and Charles I. The furniture of the Best Drawing Room was said to be "of the latest fashion and displays superior taste". Another spectacular room was the State Bedroom, with blue and white furnishings, a Gobelin tapestry (The Village Feast), and a ceiling in blue and gilt. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 66 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Photographs by en:User:Puffball who asked me to upload them under the GFDL. File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 66 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Photographs by en:User:Puffball who asked me to upload them under the GFDL. File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia... Fonthill Abbey. ... Lely is a census-designated place located in Collier County, Florida. ... Self Portrait With a Sunflower Sir Anthony (Antoon) van Dyck (*March 22, 1599 - December 9, 1641) was a Flemish painter — mainly of portraits — who became the leading court painter in England. ... The Stonemasons Yard, painted 1726-30. ... Self-portrait, painted 1759 Thomas Gainsborough (May 14, 1727 (baptised) – August 2, 1788) was one of the most famous portrait and landscape painters of 18th century Britain. ... George Morland (1763-1804) was an English painter of animals and rustic scenes. ... Sir Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (July 16, 1723–February 23, 1792) was the most important and influential of eighteenth-century English painters, specialising in portraits and promoting the Grand Style in painting which depended on idealization of the imperfect. ... Gobelin was the name of a family of dyers, who in all probability came originally from Reims, and who in the middle of the 15th century established themselves in the Faubourg Saint Marcel, Paris, on the banks of the Bièvre. ...

Frances Calvery, in An Irish Beauty of the Regency (1816), writes:

"On Wednesday we went to Cashiobury, the seat of the Earl of Essex, which is a very pretty house and more full of comforts, curiosities and pretty things than any other house I ever saw. Lord and Lady Holland, Lord Auckland and several more now in the house". On the Thursday she records: "Lady Essex took us all over her flower gardens, which I declare are the most complete in England". ^[3]

Humphry Repton (1752-1818) was commissioned to landscape the park. A number of lodges and other buildings for the estate were constructed. These were designed by Wyatt's nephew, Sir Jeffrey Wyattville (1766-1840). Only one now survives: Cassiobury Lodge, in Gade Avenue, "... the most elaborate in execution - its whole exterior being covered or cased with sticks of various sizes split in two", wrote a Victorian visitor. At this time the park comprised 693 acres, the Home Park and the Upper Park being separated by the River Gade. The Upper Park became the West Herts Golf Course. Notable gardeners Luis Barragán Geoffrey Bawa Lancelot Capability Brown Charles de lÉcluse Esther Dean Charlie Dimmock A. J. Downing Ian Hamilton Finlay Bob Flowerdew Pippa Greenwood C. Z. Guest Robert Hart Michael Heseltine Hotsukimaru Derek Jarman Thomas Jefferson Gertrude Jekyll William Kent André Le Nôtre Peter Joseph... Drawing showing Wyattvilles Gothic transformation to the buildings of the upper ward of Windsor Castle Drawing showing the intended changes to the Prince of Wales Tower at Windsor Castle Sir Jeffry Wyattville (1766 - 1840) was an English architect and garden designer. ...

In 1841 a fire destroyed the orangery, which was filled with newly collected plants and fine orange trees, some of which had been presented to the 6th earl by Louis XVII. Herds of deer roamed the park. Parties were a regular feature at the weekends. The public were allowed to ride and walk through the grounds, but had to apply for a ticket in advance. Orangery in Kuskovo, Moscow (1760s). ...

The parties and entertainments at Cassiobury House continued into the new century: in 1902 it was visited by the young Winston Churchill and King Edward VII. But at about this time the Essex family planned to let the house and live in London. The upkeep was becoming increasingly expensive. Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC (Can) (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was an English statesman, soldier, and author. ... Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, King of the Commonwealth Realms, and the Emperor of India. ...

In 1909, 184 acres of parkland were sold by the 8th earl, most to Watford Borough Council for housing and the public park. More land for the park was purchased in 1930.

Construction of the residential Cassiobury Estate began. The land was made subject to restrictive covenants stipulating that only good quality detached or semi-detached houses would be allowed. Most activity was in the 1930s, though building still continues, mostly of "infill" housing on former back gardens. The park is bounded by Parkside Drive and Coningsby Drive on the north, and Cassiobury Park Avenue on the south. Cassiobury is a residential area of Watford in Hertfordshire, England. ...

On Thursday 8 June, 1922, at 2.30 p.m. at 20 Hanover Square, "By direction of the Right Honourable Adèle, Countess Dowager of Essex", "Cassiobury Park estate including the historical family mansion, Little Cassiobury, and the West Herts Golf Links, embracing in all an Area of about 870 Acres" was auctioned by Humbert & Flint, in conjunction with Knight, Frank & Rutley. Hanover Square, London, is a square in Mayfair, London,W1, England, just to the south west of the junction of Oxford Street and Regent Street. ...

Having remained unoccupied and unsold, the house itself was demolished in 1927. Only the stable block remains: this has been converted to Cassiobury Court, an old peoples' home, still extant in Richmond Drive. The grand staircase (said to be designed by Gibbons but since attributed to Edmund Pearce) was removed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Other materials from the house were used to restore Monmouth House in Watford High Street. Posters advertised "To lovers of the antique, architects, builders, etc., 300 tons of old oak: 100 very fine old oak beams and 10,000 Tudor period bricks". Metropolitan Museum of Art New York Elevation The Metropolitan Museum of Art, often referred to simply as The Met, is one of the worlds largest and most important art museums. ... Allegory of the Tudor dynasty (detail), attributed to Lucas de Heere, ca 1572: left to right, Philip II of Spain, Mary, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Elizabeth The Tudor period usually refers to the historical period between 1485 and 1558, especially in relation to the history of England. ...

In 1967, even the quaint, castellated entrance gates on the Rickmansworth Road were demolished to make way for a new traffic system.

References and Notes

1. ^  "Amenity area" is one of those stock phrases used by officialdom whose meaning one never quite analyses. The Concise Oxford Dictionary (5th edition) defines "amenity" thus: Pleasantness (of places, persons, etc.); pleasant ways. It's ultimately from the Latin for "pleasant". In the UK an "amenity area" is a pleasant outdoor place where you can go to relax, stroll, picnic, and so forth.
2. ^  Hertfordshire Bird Report
3. ^  Calvery, F. (1911) An Irish beauty of the regency

Concise Oxford Dictionary (COD) is probably the best-known smaller Oxford dictionaries. ...

External links

• Watford Museum’s Cassiobury pages
• The Friends of Cassiobury Park
• The "Grinling Gibbons" staircase
• The Cassiobury House Turret Clock at the British Museum