Elvaston Castle : Attraction of Derby

Elvaston Castle (full name Elvaston Castle Country Park) is a country park in Derbyshire, England with 200 acres of woodlands, parkland and formal gardens. The centrepiece of the estate is Elvaston Castle itself.

History

Originally built in 1633, it was redesigned by James Wyatt in the early 1800s for the 3rd Earl of Harrington.

In 1968, the estate was sold by the then Earl of Harrington to Derbyshire County Council. This coincided with the Countryside Act of the same year which proposed the creation of “country parks” “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.

Recently

Over recent years, funding has run dry for Elvaston Castle and its estate leaving it in a neglected state of disrepair. Due to this, the castle itself is rarely open to the public. The council want to lease the estate privately to a business. There is much resistance to this from local people, who do not want the castle to be turned into a hotel, which is believed to be the plans of possible buyers.

The Elvaston Castle Estate Trust are a group that aim to stop the council’s plans to lease the estate to a private owner. They wish to restore the estate back to a state where it can be fully open to the public, including the castle.