Major restoration of one of Chatsworth’s “most popular features”

Chatsworth House Trust has announced a new £7m restoration project for a Grade I listed feature on the estate, located in the Peak District National Park.

It has been awarded £422k of funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to invest in the research and development work for ‘Celebrating the Cascade’, a project to restore the “popular” water feature at Chatsworth.

Built more than three centuries ago, the “iconic structure” of a temple with spouts and fountains has 24 steps that water flows over, descending around 60m.

The full restoration has been estimated at more than £7m and is “urgently required”, says the Trust. Rapid structural deterioration caused by significant leakage of water through the mortar and joints in the stonework, and around the surrounding earth, has resulted in the forced closure of a 19th century tunnel that runs underneath, which was once used to supply coal to heat the Great Conservatory.

Lord Burlington, chairman of the Chatsworth House Trust, says: “The Cascade is one of the most popular features at Chatsworth and ‘Celebrating the Cascade’ is a major project that will enable us to ensure many more people will get to experience and enjoy it in the years to come. This project is just one of many ways in which we are working to bring a more diverse group of visitors to Chatsworth, as well as creating truly transformational experiences that involve both the nature and the built heritage in our custodianship.”