A RECENT discovery in the grounds of Highcliffe Castle could help to determine more about the site’s garden history.

Gardeners and volunteers clearing an overgrown area found a row of previously unrecorded garden edging tiles following a line about three feet from one of the garden walls.

The tiles were marked with the name of a company based in Bridgwater, Somerset, a region which was at the heart of British brick and tile manufacturing throughout the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries until mechanisation in Bedfordshire.

Staff from Highcliffe Castle have now contacted the Bridgwater Brick and Tile Museum for more information on the dates and manufacturer.

The find comes as interest in the gardens at Highcliffe is heightened with the impending Lancelot Capability Brown tercentenary celebrations in 2016.

Highcliffe Castle is built in the grounds of the earlier High Cliff, Lord Bute’s seaside residence and one of only two seaside sites landscaped by Capability Brown in the 18th century.

There is also a Lottery Bid in preparation which will look specifically at the gardens and use of the grounds.

Head gardener Malcom Dunn said: “We are waiting for a date on the tiles which could mark a significant find if they turn out to be 18th century.

“Looking at the grounds now it is hard to believe that these were laid out by Capability Brown, but there are around 20 features left over from that time and this despite reshaping of the gardens in the 19th century and the council’s work during the late 20th century.”