Cascade & Cascade Temple
Probably the most well-known feature in the garden, the Cascade was designed by Grillet, a French hydraulics engineer with experience of designing for Louis XIV, King of France and was completed in 1696. It was later torn up in 1702 with the aim of making it longer and steeper than its original form.
At this time, a Cascade temple was designed by Thomas Archer (1668-1748) and placed at the top of the Cascade. The stone nymphs were recycled from the original feature and Dolphin sculptures were added, along with a figure of Fluvius that had been carved by Henri Nadauld (1653-1723). This remodelling was completed in 1708 but work on the supply pond, which is situated up the hill continued until 1712.
Willow Tree Fountain
The Willow Tree Fountain is a brass tree made by an engineer called Ibeck in 1695. This piece has been remade twice and is in need of restoration at the moment but oh my, we loved it. Tucked away at the edge of the Rockery, it seemed completely overlooked by everyone but us. On the hot summers day that we had visited on, we lapped it up and enjoyed the refreshing cool water that pattered down from it. Such a welcome treat!
Paxton’s Rock Garden
The Rock Garden, also known as the Rockery began in 1845 and was built to serve as a reminder of the 6th Duke of Devonshire’s visit to the Alps – apparently postcards didn’t exist back then!. The largest rock piece is the Wellington Rock which reaches 45 feet tall and has a waterfall running down its edge.
In 2002-3, a partial restoration took place and it was then that a viewing platform was also added. In 2017, the landscape designer Tom Stuart-Smith added a multitude of plants as well as new rock features and there were also new paths created for the space to become more accessible -which I took full advantage of and truly appreciated as this was probably my favourite space in the entire estate.
With a multitude of pathways, nooks and crannies to explore in the Rockery it was so magical to me – I absolutely loved it! I felt as though I was in a fairy garden or even a dragon pit and I half expected Daenerys Targaryen to rock up on Drogon.
I will leave this post here as I know I have added a lot of photos and don’t want it to be too overwhelming for you lovely lot so stay tuned for more next time.
*If you haven’t checked out the other Chatsworth posts, you can do so here.
Cheerio for now!
withsomejam 