WANSTEAD Park was once home to an impressive landscape garden at the height of the style's popularity in the mid-18th century.

And as CLAIRE HACK finds out, it was also home to a now largely forgotten ornamental grotto, which has been left to fall to ruin since the 19th century.

Set against the regal backdrop of Wanstead House, the stone grotto dates back to about 1761, when then-owner Lord John Tylney began gathering materials for its construction.

The house, with its imposing columns, was intended to rival the palace at Versailles and was believed to be one the key buildings in the development of Palladian architecture, based on the work of Italian architect Andrea Palladio.

It was eventually knocked down in the first part of the 19th century after no buyer could be found in an auction, but the grotto survived almost until the end of the reign of Queen Victoria.

Now little more than a crumbling wall, the example at Wanstead Park was once thought to be one of the finest of its kind, during a "golden age" for the highly decorated structures, which were popular among Britain's rich and powerful.

Intended to evoke the magic and mystery of nature, examples could be found across the country during the latter half of 18th century and Wanstead's grotto once housed an octagonal lantern, along with a floor covered with coloured pebbles.

It is now only possible to imagine what the structure would have looked like in its prime, but historians believe the pebbles were laid out in patterns and figures, while the roof and walls would have been covered with coral, seaweed, stalactites and seashells.

It was once furnished with a wooden coffin, and displayed three ostrich eggs - but its purpose was not purely ornamental.

Directly below the grotto's main chamber was a boathouse, which opened directly on to the water, and allowed residents to set sail in one of the park's lakes.

The grotto survived in 1824 when the main house was knocked down and escaped destruction again in 1835, despite plans being put forward for its demolition.

But in 1884, just two years after Wanstead Park began allowing members of the public to visit, it was almost completely destroyed by an accidental fire.

Part of the front of the grotto still remains but no proposals have ever been made for its reconstruction.

Thanks to the Wanstead Parklands Community Project for images and information.

Visit wansteadpark.org.uk for more information.