Bono Retiro (Hardwick Park, Sedgefield)
The Bono Retiro at Hardwick stood in the western part of the garden at Hardwick, entirely hidden from view from all directions. The visitor would leave the Grand Terrace and enter the close walks west of the lake, surrounded by dense plantations of trees and shrubs, passing behind the Bath House before crossing over the footbridge ponds. At this point the path divided, heightening the sense of mystery and disorientation. Both branches in fact led to the Bono Retiro.
Hutchinson (1787) noted that among the 'confined and winding walks' were distributed 'works, in the style of the last age, placed here to give the contrast between the polished taste of the present times and the rural ornaments which delighted our ancestors.' These may have been fragments of the old manor house at Hardwick. They would have provided another means for Burdon to suggest a spurious ancestral link with his newly-acquired property.
The Bono Retiro itself stood on a raised mound due west of the centre of the dam. The visitor would emerge from the woodland walk expecting to see the lake to the east, but this was intentionally shut off from the view by the full height of the dam, maintaining the sense of enclosure. The building itself was built of brick and rubble, rendered with stucco and with sandstone dressings defining the principal features. Its facade, looking east, was of five bays and two storeys. The style was Gothick, with a regular pattern of pointed-arch windows. The central block supported a pediment with a quatrefoil opening in the centre. To each side was a square tower breaking slightly forward, with a pointed-arch window (or door?) extending to ground level. Above these were quatrefoils similar to that in the pediment. The towers rose above the height of the central block. The appearance of the roofline is not known, but it is possible it may have displayed battlements, including the pediment. The appearances of the sides and rear of the building are unrecorded. The 1800 guidebook explains that the style of the building and its atmospheric setting were intended to exhibit 'a pleasing picture of the taste of former ages, and an agreeable contrast to the magnificent and splendid edifices which ornament other parts of the grounds.'
The main facade looked along a short, straight-sided canal towards the centre of the dam, in which was seen (and heard) the cascade outflow of the lake. Turning from this remarkable and quite unexpected scene, the visitor would enter the building, whereupon he would witness Burdon's most original visual conceit, a mirror in the doorway reflecting the cascade, so that the visitor would appear to be walking through the waterfall, as it were leaving reality behind and entering a dream world. So much for the Age of Reason.
Hutchinson (1787) noted that among the 'confined and winding walks' were distributed 'works, in the style of the last age, placed here to give the contrast between the polished taste of the present times and the rural ornaments which delighted our ancestors.' These may have been fragments of the old manor house at Hardwick. They would have provided another means for Burdon to suggest a spurious ancestral link with his newly-acquired property.
The Bono Retiro itself stood on a raised mound due west of the centre of the dam. The visitor would emerge from the woodland walk expecting to see the lake to the east, but this was intentionally shut off from the view by the full height of the dam, maintaining the sense of enclosure. The building itself was built of brick and rubble, rendered with stucco and with sandstone dressings defining the principal features. Its facade, looking east, was of five bays and two storeys. The style was Gothick, with a regular pattern of pointed-arch windows. The central block supported a pediment with a quatrefoil opening in the centre. To each side was a square tower breaking slightly forward, with a pointed-arch window (or door?) extending to ground level. Above these were quatrefoils similar to that in the pediment. The towers rose above the height of the central block. The appearance of the roofline is not known, but it is possible it may have displayed battlements, including the pediment. The appearances of the sides and rear of the building are unrecorded. The 1800 guidebook explains that the style of the building and its atmospheric setting were intended to exhibit 'a pleasing picture of the taste of former ages, and an agreeable contrast to the magnificent and splendid edifices which ornament other parts of the grounds.'
The main facade looked along a short, straight-sided canal towards the centre of the dam, in which was seen (and heard) the cascade outflow of the lake. Turning from this remarkable and quite unexpected scene, the visitor would enter the building, whereupon he would witness Burdon's most original visual conceit, a mirror in the doorway reflecting the cascade, so that the visitor would appear to be walking through the waterfall, as it were leaving reality behind and entering a dream world. So much for the Age of Reason.
D5789
Registered Park or Garden of Historic Interest
National Heritage List for England Entry Number: 1000730
National Heritage List for England Entry Number: 1000730
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Please note that this information has been compiled from a number of different sources. Durham County Council and Northumberland County Council can accept no responsibility for any inaccuracy contained therein. If you wish to use/copy any of the images, please ensure that you read the Copyright information provided.