Rougemont Gardens is an ornamental open space adjacent to

Rougemont Castle Rougemont Castle, also known as Exeter Castle, is the historic castle of the city of Exeter, Devon, England. It was built into the northern corner of the Roman city walls starting in or shortly after the year 1068, following Exeter's rebellion ...

in the city of Exeter,

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

, England. It is Grade II listed in the

National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens The Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England provides a listing and classification system for historic parks and gardens similar to that used for listed buildings. The register is managed by Historic England ...

. Originally part of the defences of the castle, it was converted into a garden in the late 18th century, and purchased by the city council in 1912.

Boundaries

The gardens are bounded on the north-west by the city wall with

Northernhay Gardens Northernhay Gardens are located in Exeter, Devon, England, on the northern side of Rougemont Castle. They are the oldest public open space in England, being originally laid out in 1612 as a pleasure walk for Exeter residents. The gardens are G ...

beyond, and on the north-east by the castle wall with Athelstan's Tower at the junction of the two walls. The eastern boundary is at Castle Street with the early Norman gatehouse of the castle at the top and Rougemont House below. On the south the boundary is formed by Exeter City Central Library and on the south-east by the Phoenix Arts Centre and the

Royal Albert Memorial Museum Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery (RAMM) is a museum and art gallery in Exeter, Devon, the largest in the city. It holds significant and diverse collections in areas such as zoology, anthropology, fine art, local and overseas archaeolo ...

History

The site was originally part of William the Conqueror's defences for

during the Norman Conquest of England. When William ordered the construction of Rougemont Castle in 1068 a defensive

ringwork A ringwork is a form of fortified defensive structure, usually circular or oval in shape. Ringworks are essentially motte-and-bailey castles without the motte. Defences were usually earthworks in the form of a ditch and bank surrounding the sit ...

was included which characterises the shape of gardens today. It has been noted that the ditch in the gardens seems to be much larger than the apparent need for defence; this could be because it may have been the site of the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

quarry which provided the stone from which the original city walls were built. John Norden's 1617 plan of Rougemont Castle

In around 1768, John Patch, a local surgeon, built Rougemont House just below the Norman gatehouse. He also set out gardens behind the house. Successive occupiers of the house made alterations to the house and gardens and by

Victorian times In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardi ...

the garden was being referred to as "a perfect sylvan retreat".

Exeter City Council Exeter City Council is the council and local government of the city of Exeter, Devon. History Proposed unitary authority status The government proposed that the city should become an independent unitary authority within Devon, much like neighb ...

purchased Rougemont House in 1911 and the grounds of the house in the following year. For many years during the 20th century, Rougemont House—a Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

—was open to the public as a museum, though it has since closed. (pdf file) The whole of the gardens, including the castle and city walls, Athelstan's Tower and the gatehouse are scheduled as a nationally important archaeological site, and are maintained as a public open space by the city council. Until 2009, they were used by the

Northcott Theatre The Northcott Theatre is a theatre situated on the Streatham Campus of the University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, England. It opened in 1967 and was run until 2010 by the Northcott Theatre Foundation, when the company ceased operating after a pe ...

to stage Shakespearean plays in the summer—the city wall and defensive ditch forming a natural backdrop and amphitheatre for the performances.

References

{{coord, 50.7258, -3.5309, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Exeter Parks and open spaces in Devon Grade II listed parks and gardens in Devon Tourist attractions in Exeter