The porch was completed in 1764 and would originally have overlooked the grounds of John Scott's garden. Scott was obviously delighted with his grotto:

Where ‘midst thick oaks, the subterraneous way
To the arch’d grot admits a feeble ray;
Where glossy pebbles pave the varied floors,
And rough flint-walls are deck’d with shells and ores,
And silvery pearls, spread o’er the roofs on high,
Glimmer like faint stars in a twilight sky;
From noon’s fierce glare, perhaps, he pleas’d retires,
Indulging musings which the place inspires.
(extract from Epistle 1. The Garden)

However, in Victorian times an embankment was thrown up in front of the porch during the construction of Scotts Road and the grotto is now situated in a dell. The original porch was destroyed in the 1960’s following the purchase of the site by a developer who intended to demolish the grotto and build housing instead. Fortunately, the rest of the grotto was spared and the porch was rebuilt during the 1990 restoration project.