Clumber Park | |
---|---|
Clumber Park within Nottinghamshire. | |
Location | Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England |
Nearest city | Sheffield |
OS grid | SK625755 |
Coordinates | 53°16′23″N1°03′50″W / 53.273°N 1.064°W |
Area | 1,537 hectares (3,800 acres) |
Operated by | National Trust |
Visitors | 666,997 (2019) [1] |
Open | Park: 7.00am to dusk. Other facilities have more restricted times. |
Status | SSSI (for map see Map ) |
Other information | Postcode: S80 3AZ |
Website | www |
Clumber Park is a country park in The Dukeries near Worksop in the civil parish of Clumber and Hardwick, Nottinghamshire, England. The estate, which was the seat of the Pelham-Clintons, Dukes of Newcastle, was purchased by the National Trust in 1946. It is listed Grade I on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. [2]
The main house was demolished in 1938 after damage by several fires. The nearby Grade I listed chapel in Gothic Revival style and a four-acre walled kitchen garden still survive.
The gardens and the estate are managed by the National Trust and are open to the public all year round. In 2020/21 over 350,000 people visited Clumber Park, making it one of the National Trust's top ten most visited properties.
Clumber, mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086, was a monastic property in the Middle Ages but later came into the hands of the Holles family. [3] In 1707 permission was granted to John Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle to enclose 3,000 acres (1,200 ha) of Sherwood Forest, and re-purpose it as a deer park. [4] Clumber House, close to the River Poulter, was a pre-existing hunting lodge, which became the core of a new residence built on the site. [5] At the 1st Duke's death in 1711, his nephew Thomas Pelham-Holles inherited the estate, but did little with it, other than spend the money he inherited. [6] At his death in 1768, his nephew Henry Fiennes Pelham-Clinton inherited the title and the estate, and made Clumber Park his residence. [4]
From 1759, work on the house and park proceeded, under the supervision of a carpenter and builder named Fuller White (although he is likely to have been working to plans from the architect Stephen Wright) [note 1] . White was dismissed in 1767 and Wright took charge of the project, replacing some of the 1760s features in the 1770s. The project was still not complete when Wright died and some features in and around the park may have been designed by his successor, John Simpson, in the 1780s. [8]
In March 1879 a serious fire destroyed much of Clumber House. [9] At the time of the fire the house contained around 500 pictures and around a fifth were destroyed in the fire. [10] Fortunately twenty-four of the best of the collection were on loan to Nottingham Corporation, including The Beggar Boys by Thomas Gainsborough. Serious losses included a portrait of William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke by Anthony van Dyck, portraits of an old man and old woman by Rembrandt, a portrait of a lady by Titian and Virgin and Child by Albrecht Dürer.[ citation needed ]
Henry Pelham-Clinton, 7th Duke of Newcastle, was a minor at the time of the fire and the trustees approved the new plans by Charles Barry in 1880. [11] Work was still going on in 1884 when it was reported that a temporary front had been built pending the erection of two large wings and an entrance hall. The other sides of the houses were completed, including the addition of a billiard room. [12] By 1886 the building was mostly restored although it was reported that part of the west front was yet to be added. [13] One significant improvement was a scheme whereby the sewage which used to go into the lake was diverted to Hardwick Meadows, over a mile away from the house. [14]
Another fire, in 1912, caused less damage, but the effects of the First World War and the Great Depression forced the abandonment of the mansion, which, like many other houses during this period, was demolished in 1938 to avoid a tax bill. [15] [3] [16] Prior to demolition, the 9th Duke sold the contents of the house to repay debts. [4]
In 1938 Charles Boot of Henry Boot Construction, was contracted to demolish the house and he removed a vast array of statues, façades and fountains to his Derbyshire home, Thornbridge Hall, although most were purchased by private buyers at auction.[ citation needed ] The Duke's study, designed by Barry, is all that survives of the main house and is presently home to the Clumber Café. It is Grade II on the National Heritage List for England. [17]
Most of the ducal properties and land assets were sold to the London and Fort George Land Company (LFG) in 1927 by the 7th Duke of Newcastle to pay off debts and acquired by the National Trust in 1946. [18]
Clumber Park is over 3,800 acres (1,500 ha; 5.9 sq mi) in extent, including woods, open heath and rolling farmland. It contains the longest double avenue of lime trees in Europe. The avenue was created by Henry Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle in the 19th century and extends for more than 2 mi (3.2 km). Clumber Lake is a serpentine lake covering 87 acres (35 ha; 0.136 sq mi) south of the site of Clumber House and extending 1.2 mi (2 km) to the east. The lake was partially rebuilt in the 1980s and again in 2004 after suffering from subsidence from coal mining. [19] Hardwick Village lies within the park, near the eastern end of the lake.
The Church of St Mary the Virgin, a Grade I listed Gothic Revival chapel, was built by the 7th Duke of Newcastle. [20]
The 4-acre (1.6 ha) walled kitchen garden east of the cricket pitch has a glasshouse 450 ft (140 m) long and containing Pelargoniums, grapevines and a Butia capitata palm. It was once heated by an underfloor system, fired by local coal, allowing exotic plants to be grown all year round. The pipework is in place beneath the ornate metal floor grates. The garden is divided by pathways and contains vegetables, herbs, fruit, flowers and an ornate rose garden. The garden hosts the National Collection of apple varieties from Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Leicistershire and Yorkshire [21] with more than 101 varieties of apple including the 'Sisson's Worksop Newton' apple. The garden also has the National Collection of rhubarb, [22] numbering over 135 edible varieties - the second largest collection in the world - as well as locally derived varieties of vegetables such as the 'Clayworth Prize Pink' celery. The lower end of the garden is reached by an iron gate to Cedar Avenue allowing colder air and moisture to move out of the garden avoiding the creation of frost pockets which could damage tender plants or reduce the growing season. [23]
In March 2018 the park's ornamental bridge suffered extensive damage after a car was deliberately driven into it. The car, thought to be stolen, was burnt out nearby. The National Trust said it appeared to be "an act of intentional damage". The Grade-I listed bridge over the River Poulter was believed to have been built in the 1760s. [24]
The bridge remains permanently closed to vehicular traffic. As a training exercise, police divers recovered hundreds of pieces of broken stone knocked into the river. A floating pontoon platform to support scaffolding was built and stonemasons started to rebuild the bridge using some original fragments in October 2019. [25] [26] [27] [28] The bridge was re-opened to foot-traffic only in July 2020 after extensive restorative stonework. [29] [30]
Just over a week after the bridge damage, a waste-bin, a National Trust van and a barn known as The Bunk House were set alight in an arson attack. [31] Two months later in May, six engraved brass plaques containing the names of men who had died in wars were stolen from nearby Hardwick Village War Memorial. The memorial is a Grade-II listed structure and the plaques were 100 years old. [32] [33]
Starting from 2009, a grant of £797,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund enabled renovation of the Grade II listed derelict old brewhouse, part of the old stable block, to create an exhibition and discovery centre. [34] [35] [36]
In 1981 an area of 1,301.20 acres (526.58 ha) was designated an SSSI. A wide variety of species-rich habitats surround the former mansion, including the lake and wetlands, grassland, heath and mature deciduous woodland. The mature trees and dead and decaying ancient trees provide good habitats for beetles. There are breeding birds of woods and heath including nightjar, woodlark, redstart, hawfinch, water rail and gadwall ducks. [37] Ancient breeds of English Longhorn cattle and Jacob sheep have been introduced to pastures surrounding the lake as part of the process for managing the grassland habitats while safeguarding rare livestock breeds. In January 2018 the National Trust sent a "heartfelt letter" to the environment manager at fracking company Ineos, asking her to visit the park and to stop its survey there for shale gas reserves. [38]
Close to the main parking area is a cricket pitch with a thatched roof pavilion in the style of a cottage, clad in rustic split logs. Along the road side are large open areas to park and picnic. The park is used by walkers and has several miles of paths and cycle tracks surrounding the lake. The park has bicycles for hire. The visitor centre is in the old stable block, part of which houses a display on the history of the park, a shop and restaurant. Off the main lime tree avenue are camping facilities. [23] [39] Route 6 of the National Cycle Network passes through the park, linking it to Sherwood Forest and Sherwood Pines. [40]
In 2020/21 over 350,000 people visited Clumber Park, making it one of the National Trust's top ten most visited properties. [41]
As of 2013 a parkrun takes place in the grounds every Saturday. [42]
Sherwood Forest is the remnants of an ancient royal forest in Nottinghamshire, England, having a historic association with the legend of Robin Hood.
Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne was a title that was created three times, once in the Peerage of England and twice in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first grant of the title was made in 1665 to William Cavendish, 1st Marquess of Newcastle upon Tyne. He was a prominent Royalist commander during the Civil War.
Worksop is a market town in the Bassetlaw District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is located 15 miles (24 km) south of Doncaster, 15 miles (24 km) south-east of Sheffield and 24 miles (39 km) north of Nottingham. Located close to Nottinghamshire's borders with South Yorkshire and Derbyshire, it is on the River Ryton and not far from the northern edge of Sherwood Forest. Other nearby towns include Chesterfield, Gainsborough, Mansfield and Retford. The population of the town was recorded at 44,733 in the 2021 Census.
Wimpole Estate is a large estate containing Wimpole Hall, a country house located within the civil parish of Wimpole, Cambridgeshire, England, about 8+1⁄2 miles southwest of Cambridge. The house, begun in 1640, and its 3,000 acres (12 km2) of parkland and farmland are owned by the National Trust. The estate is generally open to the public and received over 335,000 visitors in 2019.
The River Poulter which rises near Scarcliffe in Derbyshire, England is a tributary river of the River Idle in Nottinghamshire. It supplied power to mills along its route, most of which are now gone, although their mill ponds remain. Cuckney mill building is used as a primary school. The river has been dammed to create several lakes in the Dukeries estates of Welbeck Abbey and Clumber House now the National Trust property of Clumber Park. The ornamental Gouldsmeadow Lake, Shrubbery Lake and Great Lake on the Welbeck estate are supplied by a tributary of the Poulter, while Carburton Forge Dam and Carburton Dam were built to power a forge and a mill. Clumber Lake, consisting of an upper and lower lake, which is spanned by a Grade II* listed ornamental bridge, is part of the Clumber estate, and has suffered from subsidence.
Cannon Hill Park is a park located in south Birmingham, England. It is the most popular park in the city, covering 250 acres (101 ha) consisting of formal, conservation, woodland and sports areas. Recreational activities at the park include boating, fishing, bowls, tennis, putting and picnic areas.
The Dukeries is an area of the county of Nottinghamshire so called because it contained four ducal seats. It is south of Worksop, which has been called its "gateway". The area was included within the ancient Sherwood Forest. The ducal seats were:
Henry Fiennes Pelham-Clinton, 2nd Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, KG, PC was born in London, the second son of the 7th Earl of Lincoln.
Henry Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne, KG, PC, styled Lord Henry Cavendish until 1659 and Viscount Mansfield from 1659 to 1676, was an English politician. He sat in the House of Commons from 1660 until 1676, when he inherited the dukedom.
Worksop College is a British co-educational private school for both boarding and day pupils aged 13 to 18, in Worksop. It sits at the northern edge of Sherwood Forest, in Nottinghamshire, England. Founded by Nathaniel Woodard in 1890, the school is a member of the Woodard Corporation and Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, and has a strong Anglo-Catholic tradition.
Welbeck Abbey is an English mansion situated in the village of Welbeck, which is within the civil parish of Norton, Cuckney, Holbeck and Welbeck, in the Bassetlaw District of Nottinghamshire. It was the site of a monastery belonging to the Premonstratensian order in England and after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, a country house residence of the Dukes of Portland. It is part of the Dukeries, four contiguous ducal estates in North Nottinghamshire. The house is a Grade I listed building.
Henry Pelham Fiennes Pelham-Clinton, 4th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne was a British nobleman and politician who played a leading part in British politics in the late 1820s and early 1830s. He was styled Lord Clinton from birth until 1794 and Earl of Lincoln between 1794 and 1795.
Worksop Manor is a Grade I listed 18th-century country house in Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire. It stands in one of the four contiguous estates in the Dukeries area of Nottinghamshire. Traditionally, the Lord of the Manor of Worksop may assist a British monarch at his or her coronation by providing a glove and putting it on the monarch's right hand and supporting his or her right arm. Worksop Manor was the seat of the ancient Lords of Worksop.
Carburton or Carberton is a small village on the west side of Clumber within the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England. It is primarily rural and residential. The church of Saint Giles is an unusual shape and dates back to the early 12th century, parish records date back to the 1530s
St Mary the Virgin, Clumber Park, is a Grade I listed Anglican church in Nottinghamshire, England.
St Luke's Church, Shireoaks is a Grade II listed Church of England parish church in Shireoaks, Nottinghamshire.
Clumber and Hardwick is a civil parish in the Bassetlaw district, in the county of Nottinghamshire, England. The parish includes the settlement of Hardwick Village and Clumber Park, a country park. In the UK census of 2021 the parish had a population of 66. The parish lies in the north west of the county, and south west within the district. It is 125 miles north west of London, 22 miles north of the city of Nottingham, and 3½ miles south east of the market town of Worksop.The parish touches Babworth, Carburton, Elkesley, Perlethorpe cum Budby and Welbeck. The parish was formed on 1 April 1994. The area is within Sherwood Forest and has close historical associations with the Dukes of Newcastle, being part of a wider region known as The Dukeries. There are 26 listed buildings in Clumber and Hardwick.
St Mary's Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England. It was built from 1838 to 1840 by Weightman and Hadfield in the Gothic Revival style. It is located on Park Street to the south of the town centre. It was paid for by Bernard Howard, 12th Duke of Norfolk after the sale of Worksop Manor and was once visited by Archduke Franz Ferdinand. It is a Grade II listed building.
Clumber and Hardwick is a civil parish in the Bassetlaw District of Nottinghamshire, England. The parish contains 26 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, one is listed at Grade I, the highest of the three grades, six are at Grade II*, the middle grade, and the others are at Grade II, the lowest grade. The parish contains Clumber Park, the grounds of the former Clumber Park House, and the settlement of Hardwick Village. The listed buildings in Clumber Park include the surviving range of the house, the stable range, a stable courtyard and former vicarage, the kitchen gardens and a palm house, a church, a bridge, two temples, a grotto, gateways and lodges. In the village are houses, farm buildings and a war memorial.
The Moot Hall is a municipal building in the Market Place in Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, England. The building, which was the main municipal building in the town in the 18th century, currently accommodates a Starbucks coffee shop.
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