Elvaston Castle

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THE ROCK & BIKE FESTIVAL comes to Elvaston Castle, see poster for full details

Set four miles south-east of the city of Derby is Elvaston Castle Country Park, a picturesque site featuring over 200 acres of woodlands, parkland and formal gardens.

At the heart of the estate lies Elvaston Castle - a Gothic Revival masterpiece designed by James Wyatt in the early 1800s, based on the original house dating back to 1633. Wyatt's design, built for the 3rd Earl of Harrington, became home to the Stanhope family until the estate was sold by the then Earl of Harrington to Derbyshire County Council in 1968. The Council have operated it as Elvaston Castle Country Park since then.

Surrounding the country house are the famous Grade II Listed gardens, pioneered over a 20 year period back in the 1830/40s by William Barron, one of the most influential gardeners of the century.

In addition to the formal gardens, there is acre after acre of woodland and parkland incorporating a lake, picnic areas, children's play areas and a caravan & camping site. A tea room, information centre and gift shop are located in the Castle building. A working estate museum and stable yards were also previously in existence on the estate until these were both closed by Derbyshire County Council last year.

Sadly, the ongoing lack of funding and attention from the Council over recent years has resulted in the Castle and grounds beginning to run heavily into disrepair. As a result, the castle itself is now in desperate need of restoration and, as such, is rarely open to the public nowadays.

However, despite the continuing erosion, the estate still continues to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors a year, be it families having a day out, community groups coming together to use the grounds or couples in search of a romantic wedding venue - Elvaston is still hugely popular with the public and has a place in the hearts of many.