Elvaston Castle Short Walk

This is an easy relaxing walk that explores the grounds and gardens of the Elvaston Estate. The Castle and Country Park and Nature Reserve has over 300 acres of woodland, parkland and formal gardens. Despite its proximity to the southern fringes of Derby, the area remains rural in character with several working farms in the neighbourhood. In 1969, it was established as the first country park in England.

The highlight views of this route are:

• Elvaston Castle Lake and Gardens
  • Both the lake and gardens were created by William Barron, the head gardener at Elvaston Castle. The Lake has various ornamental islands and rockworks, whilst the gardens are surrounded by high hedges to encapsulate the views within themselves.
  • The Old English Garden was formerly a site where fruit, vegetables and exotic plants were grown under glass for the Stanhope family. The gardens would be redesigned in the 1970s into a space where visitor can sit and relax.
• Elvaston Nature Reserve
  • The Elvaston Nature Reserve contains a variety of wildlife, including trees dating back to Barron’s original designs for the gardens in the 19th Century. The Reserve is also more connected to the Estate via the waterways that Elvaston’s lake and feeding grounds.
• Elvaston Castle
  • A gothic revival stately home built in 1836, based on the design of the original manor house built in the 17th Century. The Castle would be home to the Stanhope family, who had owned the land since the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th Century when the site was the Shelford Priory, before they sold it on in 1968. Leading up to the castle are the Golden Gates, they were reputed to have been taken as spoils of war from a royal palace in Madrid by Napoleon before being acquired by the 3rd Earl of Harrington in 1819 after the end of the Napoleonic Wars a few years prior.
• St. Bartholomew’s Church
  • St. Bartholomew’s Church near Elvaston Castle dates back to the 13th Century, with the official completion of the build being the 1474. The Domesday Book mentions a church and priest in the manor of Elvaston, referring to St. Bartholomew’s. The Church saw collateral damage during the English Civil War as Elvaston Castle and the surrounding area was raided by Parliamentarians as a result of the Stanhope’s support for Charles I, and there are still marks on Sir John Stanhope’s tomb made by Parliamentarian swords.

Visit Discover Derby – who put the walk together – for the route directions, more information on the key landmarks, and some directions on refreshments.