Restoration work on Chatsworth's 300-year-old Cascade water feature is imminent after public backs £250,000 appeal
Restoration work will soon begin on Chatsworth’s much-loved Cascade water feature which has been out of action for two years.
One of the oldest and most popular attractions, the Cascade’s flight of steps has deteriorated with mortar crumbling, bitumen failing and water running into Paxton’s tunnel below. A decision to stop the flow of water down the Cascade was made to protect the structure from further decay.
The renovation, which is expected to cost £7.5million, was awarded £4.6million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund in June 2025. Chatsworth House Trust is aiming to raise £250,000 from public donations towards rescuing what celebrity gardener Alan Titchmarsh called “the beating heart of Chatsworth.”
A post on the Chatsworth House social media page said: “Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we will begin phase one of the restoration of our Grade I-listed Cascade this spring. Individuals near and far have sponsored over 820 Cascade stones, but we still have more to raise to reach our public fundraising target. You can help by sponsoring a stone for yourself or someone else. All sponsors will receive a commemorative certificate, and their names will be recorded and preserved in the Devonshire Archives at Chatsworth, and displayed on a thank you board in the Glasshouse in the garden.”
Phase one of the restoration will involve skilled stonemasons lifting the slabs on the 23 steps. A more robust sub-base for the stones to rest on will be created and the subsoil strengthened after years of saturation.
The walls of the tunnel beneath the Cascade will be repaired and the hydraulic workings, valves and finials that make the Cascade flow will be repaired or replaced.
New stone blocks, sourced from Burntwood Quarry near Beeley, will be added where the existing stone is too damaged to be reused. Burntwood Quarry provided the stone used by the 6th Duke of Devonshire when he was making changes to Chatsworth in the 19th century and, more recently, during the Chatsworth Masterplan.
The social media post said: “Thank you to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and to National Lottery players; thank you to the generosity of our Friends, visitors, local communities and supporters across the UK and around the world, who have all contributed to the Cascade’s restoration. With the Heritage Fund’s support, we can ensure that the Cascade will remain a source of inspiration, wonder and learning for everyone, long into the future.”
To find out more or donate go to https://cascade.chatsworth.org