09:30AM, Monday 06 January 2025
THERE are several examples of a recessed garden feature known as a “ha ha” in our area. The one in my picture is in Checkendon but there are other examples in grand designs around Henley and the surrounding villages.
The objective of a “ha ha” is to give the illusion of a continuous and unbroken view of the owner’s grounds and beyond, from the house. A deep ditch was dug with a retaining wall towards the main property and sloping grounds going away from the view.
It often provided a boundary for livestock and was usually invisible from the house. There seems to be debate about its origins but it may have started with an idea from France in 1709 when its name derived from the reaction of visitors to the optical illusion it created on the landscape.
Most read
Top Articles
AN event held to bring together people who would otherwise be alone on Christmas Day returned to Henley after a five-year hiatus. The “Jingle and Mingle” event welcomed 80 guests to the Christ Church Centre in Reading Road to share a three-course meal...
FAMILIES who spent generations camping on an island in Shiplake are “heartbroken” now that the site has gone on the rental market. Former plot-holders at Shiplake Lock Island say that the Environment Agency, which owns it, have allowed it to...
© Copyright 2024 Baylis Community Media CIC All right reserved
