View source for Ayot Park

{{Short description|Park and garden in Ayot St Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
'''Ayot Park''' is a [[Register of Parks and Gardens|grade II listed]] park and garden at [[Ayot St Lawrence]] in [[Hertfordshire]], England.<ref name=NHL>{{National Heritage List for England|num=1000905|desc=Ayot House (park and garden)|access-date=31 December 2018}}</ref> It contains the [[grade II* listed]] Ayot House along with an earlier manor house and a walled [[kitchen garden]] which are also listed.
The estate was acquired in 1723 by Cornelius Lyde and after his death it passed to Sir [[Lyde baronets|Lionel Lyde]] who was both his nephew and son-in-law.<ref name=NHL/> Sir Lionel built the grade I listed [[New St Lawrence Church, Ayot St Lawrence|St Lawrence Church]] which faces the house across the park. It was consecrated in 1779.<ref name="HistE2">{{Cite web |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/services-skills/education/educational-images/church-built-with-profits-from-the-slave-trade-ayot-st-lawrence-4641 |title=Church built with profits from the slave trade |website=Historic England |access-date=2018-11-25}}</ref>
==Ayot House==
The red-brick house, located at {{coord|51.8388|-0.2674|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline|name=Ayot House}}, is described by Historic England as dating from the early-mid 18th century.<ref name=NHL2>{{National Heritage List for England|num=1348107|desc=Ayot House|access-date=31 December 2018}}</ref> It appears to be an early 18th-century house extended in the mid 18th century.
In the 1950s the house was used by [[Zoe Dyke]]'s silk farming business, which relocated from [[Lullingstone Castle]].<ref name=zoe>John Martin, ‘Dyke , (Millicent) Zoë, Lady Dyke (1896–1975)’, [[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]], Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Oct 2007 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/71610, accessed 12 July 2017]</ref>
Later it was divided into apartments.
==Access==
There is a path across the park to St Lawrence Church.
The walled garden and other gardens associated with the manor house are sometimes opened to the public under the auspices of the [[National Gardens Scheme]].<ref name="NGS">{{Cite web |url=https://www.ngs.org.uk/find-a-garden/garden/22685/ |title=The Manor House |website=National Gardens Scheme}}</ref>
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Listed buildings in Hertfordshire|G2*}}
{{coord|51.840|-0.265|type:landmark_region:GB|display=title}}
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[[Category:Buildings and structures in Ayot St Lawrence]]
[[Category:Grade II* listed buildings in Hertfordshire]]
[[Category:Grade II listed parks and gardens in Hertfordshire]]
[[Category:Country houses in Hertfordshire]]
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