Chatsworth Cascade: why £900million family want the public to pay for repairs to estate

Celebrity gardener Alan Titchmarsh visited the famous Peak District estate last week to front the launch of a campaign to raise £2million from individual donors, on top of an application for £5million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF).

Just as when an initial £422,000 lottery grant was secured in 2023, some readers felt the appeal was a bit rich, given the Duke of Devonshire’s personal wealth was estimated at more than £900million in the 2024 Sunday Times Rich List, making him one of the richest men in the country.

On Facebook, Jorn Orme spoke for many others: “Nothing warms the cockles of the heart more than millionaires begging the peasants for money to maintain their homes.”

Mark Yeomans added: “Are you serious. The estimated value of this Duke who owns Chatsworth, this wouldn’t dent his bank balance. Disgraceful behaviour by him expecting us peasants to make up any short fall.”

The Cascade may well be a heritage structure of national importance but, at a time when families all over the country are struggling to pay their own bills, it seems fair to question why the public and a non-departmental public body are being asked to pay for the renovation work.

When the Derbyshire Times previously asked that question, a spokesperson for the estate said: “This project lies within the remit of trust, the charity that maintains the house, garden, collection and park for everyone to enjoy. The trust generates most of its income from ticket sales and friends memberships, however this income does not cover all of the work that the trust needs to undertake.

“The backlog of structural repairs at Chatsworth is growing all the time due to the nature of being a heritage site. The cascade project will cost an estimated £7m, and it would not be possible to preserve and restore for future generations without funding from the NHLF.”

Readers might observe how that answer identifies a separate organisation responsible for the Cascade project, but still does not explain why the Devonshire family are unwilling or unable to cover the costs themselves.

Considering the tax breaks granted to historic estates which open to the public, advantages from charitable status and additional relief for the trust via Gift Aid on visitor tickets at Chatsworth, it could be argued that the Devonshires already receive significant subsidies for looking after their property.

The Derbyshire Times raised the question again this week and representatives for the Devonshire Group declined to answer directly, or make anyone available for interview.

They did however provide a document on the background of the Chatsworth House Trust, which is chaired by Lord Burlington, who now occupies the house with his family.

The document provides some clarity, though it may not satisfy all critics, but one of the key takeaways is this: “The family have been generous donors in the past and continue to support the charity both financially and in their role as hosts of events, and charity ambassadors.”

It goes on to explain: “Chatsworth House Trust was established as a registered charity and company limited by guarantee in 1981 and supported by an endowment donated by the Devonshire family – financed by the sale of books and works of art selected from the family’s own collections, in particular Nicolas Poussin’s painting ‘The Holy Family on the Steps’ (now in the Cleveland Museum of Art).

“The 11th Duke of Devonshire recognised that cross-subsidising the shortfall of visitor income by agricultural estate rents and sales was never going to be sufficient for the upkeep and development of the house and garden, particularly in light of death duties at the time. To ensure that they stay open for everyone, the charity was formed.”

“The charity was granted a 99 year lease of the house, including its essential contents, garden, park and woods (a total of 1,822 acres), by the Chatsworth Settlement – the Devonshire family trust, which had been established in 1946. This lease is charged at a ‘peppercorn’ rent of £1 per annum.

“The family pay a market rent to the Chatsworth House Trust to live in the house.”

Responsibility for maintaining the estate therefore falls on the charity, which will be required to satisfy certain conditions and operate financially in such a way as to retain charitable status.

The authors of the document write: “In order to fund ... the growing backlog of conservation needed for all the listed structures on site, we need to significantly grow the income the charity generates each year.”

As of 2023, that backlog of conservation included £1.5million of urgent work, and more than £30million of other renovations, plus the £7.3million expected cost on the Cascade.

According to the document, the majority of the trust’s income every year is spent on operating costs such as wages, energy bills, and more routine maintenance which accounted for around £4.3million of spending in 2021-22.

The document notes: “Although the charity had net surplus of £2.5m in 2021-22, this was more than outweighed by the loss of £2.6m in the previous (Covid affected) year.

The authors go on to explain: “Visitor income was £10.1m in 2021-22, which represented 73 per cent of the charity’s total income of £13.9m (a proportion which has remained broadly constant over the last decade). Of this, £771,000 was from Friends memberships and £563,000 from Gift Aid.”

A further £2.3m was received that year from trading activities such as the Chatsworth Country Fair, Chatsworth International Horse Trials and retail and catering outlets on the estate.

The authors then note: “A third and developing income stream is generated by fundraising, more specifically through grant funding, our Patrons scheme and other donors. A renewed focus on fundraising is one of our future priorities in order to alleviate the significant reliance on visitor admission.”

The trust is making particular efforts to attract overseas support, having set up an US non-profit corporation, Chatsworth in America, Inc., which “enables American donors to give tax efficiently.”

The document adds: “The surplus generated each year from visits, trading, and sponsorship is insufficient to cover all of the charity’s needs, therefore fundraising needs to grow in order to support our future ambitions.”

The authors also add: “In addition to visitors, trading and fundraising, the charity receives support from The Chatsworth Settlement, other one-off donations and investment income from the endowment.

“This totalled £1.6m in 2021-22. The Devonshire family also pay an independently determined market rent to live in the house. In addition they continue to be generous supporters of the charity.”

“The Duke of Devonshire’s Charitable Trust is a separate and personal family trust. This is not run by the charity. It funds many local causes, and has given significant donations to Chatsworth House Trust in the past.”

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