Elvaston Castle... the castle that isn't a castle.

The first thing I should tell you about Elvaston Castle is its not actually a castle, no towering walls or drawbridge to be found.

The second thing I will tell you is it doesn’t matter as I’m sure you will agree after reading this.
Let’s start with the basics then of Elvaston Castle, it’s located just outside Derby in Elvaston (That’s how it got the name.) What is called the castle is actually a large Elizabethan style house that was redesigned and extended in the grand Gothic Revival style between 1815 and 1829. The house and gardens are run and owned by Derbyshire County Council as a country park. The country park has some200 acres of woodlands, parkland and formal gardens. The house itself is closed to the public as it is in a dangerous condition and would need over £6 million spending on it if it was to be reopened.

So forget the ‘castle’ and let’s talk about the grounds. At the heart of the grounds is the ‘gothic paradise’ of the fourth Earl of Harrington, designed by William Barron. The Fourth Earl was the centre of a bit of a scandal after he married an actress who was seventeen years younger than him. The story goes the Earl and his wife were inseparable and after the death of their only child they isolated themselves within the castle, allowing nobody to visit and never leaving again. The gardens were the private retreat of the two lovers and nobody else was allowed to enter them.

After the Earl’s death his brother (The new Earl.) opened the gardens up to the public so their beauty could be shared. The estate was sold in 1969 by William Stanhope, 11th Earl of Harrington to Derbyshire County Council and are now a country park for the people to enjoy.

BUT…
There is always a but in these things, the park is now in danger of closing and Derby County Council is after someone to buy the country park, since 2010 it has been listed for sale and if a buyer is found it will more than likely be turned into a hotel and golf course.
Well it's not sold yet and here are a few pictures of the grounds.

We call this the Troll bridge.

All around the woods are these amazing structures.

That can make magical portals.

Before I go there are also ghosts at the castle...

This one was taken in the castle church yard. OK so this isn't one of the ghosts. (A touch of photoshopping.)

Thanks for reading.