Chatsworth House water feature gets lottery cash award

The structure was built more than 300 years ago

Chatsworth House is to receive £422,000 of lottery cash to repair a famous water feature.

The trust that runs the stately home and gardens in Derbyshire is facing a £7m bill to restore the 24-step cascade at the heart of the estate.

It says the work is needed due to rapid structural deterioration caused by leaking water.

The funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) will pay for research and development work.

Leaking water has led to icicles forming in a tunnel below

Chatsworth House, near Bakewell, has been home to the Devonshire family for 16 generations but is preserved by a charitable trust.

The Grade I listed cascading water feature was built more than 325 years ago and features a temple with spouts and fountains which sends water flowing down 24 steps.

Over time, water has leaked through the stonework and surrounding earth, prompting the closure of a 19th Century tunnel running underneath.

Lord Burlington, chairman of the Chatsworth House Trust, said: "The Cascade is one of the most popular features at Chatsworth, and Celebrating the Cascade is a major project that will enable us to ensure many more people will get to experience and enjoy it in the years to come."