York Historic Environment Record

This earthwork and possible associated landscaped garden lies within the former grounds of the listed Heworth Croft building (MYO1430). The listed Summerhouse (MYO 1431) also forms part of this landscaped garden. The monument appears to represent part of the remains of what appears to have been an extensive late 18th or early 19th century landscaped garden. Heworth Croft was built around 1842. It replaced an earlier large villa on this site. The gardens appear to be in part contemporary with this earlier building. The remains of this garden include an early 19th century summer house, also listed, a large earthwork, 2m high and 25m in diameter, which, from excavation evidence, appears to be no later than the 18th century in date, and a stream valley which again appears to have been extensively modelled and landscaped. This remnant garden landscape should be researched and an assessment of its importance made. The mound has been excavated on two occasions (Yorks Geological and Polytechnic Society Proceedings VII (1881), 425; YAYAS Procs, II, IV (1936), 44). These excavations have shown that the mound is no older than the 18th century. The earthwork is not recorded on either the 60" 1852 OS pLan of the City of York, nor on the 1st Edition County Series OS Map. It is however recorded on the Epoch 2 (c 1890) OS Map. The RCHME comment (RCHME City of York vol 4, (1975) (2) p1) that "the mound was probably erected as a garden feature to carry a summerhouse, of which the foundations can be seen on it.". It is possible therefore that the earthwork was constructed as a prospect mound ( a raised platform that would have provided an elevated viewpoint across the Foss to the City Walls and Minster) with a summerhouse within the gardens of Heworth Croft between 1852 and 1890.