Elvaston Castle
Encyclopedia
Elvaston Castle is a country park in Elvaston, Derbyshire
, England
with 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of woodlands, parkland and formal gardens. The centrepiece of the estate is Elvaston Castle itself. The castle is a Grade II* listed building but as at 2008 is regarded as a Building at Risk.
. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries
the Crown sold the Priory and its estates in 1538 to Sir Michael Stanhope
of Rampton, Nottinghamshire
. Sir John Stanhope
(d1611) granted the estate to his second son, also Sir John Stanhope (d 1638) High Sheriff of Derbyshire
in 1629.
Originally a manor house built for the latter Sir John in 1633, it was redesigned in grand style by James Wyatt
in the early 19th century for the 3rd Earl of Harrington
. Further modifications were made in the 1830s by the architect Lewis Nockalls Cottingham
. The gardens were also redesigned by William Barron who spent many years working for the fourth Earl. Barron brought in full size trees to try and give instant gratification to the Earl when he saw the new gardens.
Following the Countryside Act in 1968, the estate was sold in 1969 by William Stanhope, the 11th Earl of Harrington
to Derbyshire County Council. The Countryside Act proposed the creation of "country park
s" "for the enjoyment of the countryside by the public". The council opened the estate to the public in 1970 and have operated it since then, as Elvaston Castle Country Park.
In 1969, Elvaston was also used as a location for Ken Russell
's film adaptation
of the D. H. Lawrence
novel Women in Love.
For the last eight years the Derbyshire County Council has been marketing the estate to private companies, claiming that it cannot afford to repair and maintain it but its actions have come to nothing. The latest of these is an attempt to turn the Castle into an hotel and the Park into golf courses. This is being fiercely contested by "The Friends of Elvaston Castle" on behalf of the local community.
Elvaston, Derbyshire
Elvaston is a small village and civil parish in Derbyshire, England. The parish also includes two other hamlets, Ambaston and Thulston, and a recently built housing estate Boulton Moor...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of woodlands, parkland and formal gardens. The centrepiece of the estate is Elvaston Castle itself. The castle is a Grade II* listed building but as at 2008 is regarded as a Building at Risk.
History
In the 16th century the estate was held by the Shelford PrioryShelford Priory
Shelford Priory, a house of Augustinian Canons, was founded by Ralph Haunselyn around 1160-80 in Nottinghamshire. Later it became Shelford Manor.-The Priory:Haunselyn dedicated it to the Virgin Mary...
. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
the Crown sold the Priory and its estates in 1538 to Sir Michael Stanhope
Sir Michael Stanhope
Sir Michael Stanhope was a Nottinghamshire landowner and suspected rebel against the English Crown. He was a descendant of the ancient Stanhope family of Rampton, Nottinghamshire....
of Rampton, Nottinghamshire
Rampton, Nottinghamshire
Rampton is a village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire, England. At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of 1,269. Its name came from Anglo-Saxon Ramm-tūn = "ram farmstead". It is located in the Trent valley north of Nottingham, in the Bassetlaw district 8 miles east of Retford...
. Sir John Stanhope
Sir John Stanhope
Sir John Stanhope was an English knight and landowner and father of the 1st Earl of Chesterfield.He was appointed Postmaster General to Queen Elizabeth on 20 June 1590....
(d1611) granted the estate to his second son, also Sir John Stanhope (d 1638) High Sheriff of Derbyshire
High Sheriff of Derbyshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Derbyshire from 1568.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been...
in 1629.
Originally a manor house built for the latter Sir John in 1633, it was redesigned in grand style by James Wyatt
James Wyatt
James Wyatt RA , was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical style, who far outdid Adam in his work in the neo-Gothic style.-Early classical career:...
in the early 19th century for the 3rd Earl of Harrington
Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington
General Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington PC, PC , styled Viscount Petersham until 1779, was a British soldier. Stanhope is sometimes confused with an exact contemporary of his, the 3rd Earl Stanhope....
. Further modifications were made in the 1830s by the architect Lewis Nockalls Cottingham
Lewis Nockalls Cottingham
Lewis Nockalls Cottingham was a British architect who pioneered the study of Medieval Gothic architecture. He was a restorer and conservator of existing buildings...
. The gardens were also redesigned by William Barron who spent many years working for the fourth Earl. Barron brought in full size trees to try and give instant gratification to the Earl when he saw the new gardens.
Following the Countryside Act in 1968, the estate was sold in 1969 by William Stanhope, the 11th Earl of Harrington
William Stanhope, 11th Earl of Harrington
William Henry Leicester Stanhope, 11th Earl of Harrington was a British army captain and peer.He was the son of Charles Stanhope, 10th Earl of Harrington and Margaret Trelawney Seaton....
to Derbyshire County Council. The Countryside Act proposed the creation of "country park
Country park
A country park is an area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.-History:In the United Kingdom the term 'Country Park' has a special meaning. There are over 400 Country Parks in England alone . Most Country Parks were designated in the 1970s, under the...
s" "for the enjoyment of the countryside by the public". The council opened the estate to the public in 1970 and have operated it since then, as Elvaston Castle Country Park.
In 1969, Elvaston was also used as a location for Ken Russell
Ken Russell
Henry Kenneth Alfred "Ken" Russell was an English film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. He attracted criticism as being obsessed with sexuality and the church...
's film adaptation
Women in Love (film)
Women in Love is a 1969 British film directed by Ken Russell. It stars Alan Bates , Oliver Reed, Glenda Jackson and Jennie Linden. The film was adapted by Larry Kramer from the novel of the same name by D. H. Lawrence....
of the D. H. Lawrence
D. H. Lawrence
David Herbert Richards Lawrence was an English novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic and painter who published as D. H. Lawrence. His collected works represent an extended reflection upon the dehumanising effects of modernity and industrialisation...
novel Women in Love.
For the last eight years the Derbyshire County Council has been marketing the estate to private companies, claiming that it cannot afford to repair and maintain it but its actions have come to nothing. The latest of these is an attempt to turn the Castle into an hotel and the Park into golf courses. This is being fiercely contested by "The Friends of Elvaston Castle" on behalf of the local community.