Feature Assessment: Cultural landscapes / Estate lands and designed landscapes
# Estate lands and designed landscapes
Overall vulnerability |
# Feature(s) assessed:
- Estate lands and designed landscapes Special qualities:
- Beautiful views created by contrasting landscapes and dramatic geology
- Undeveloped places of tranquillity and dark night skies within reach of millions
- Landscapes that tell a story of thousands of years of people, farming and industry
- Characteristic settlements with strong communities and traditions
# Feature description:
Across the PDNP there are a number of country houses, estate lands and designed landscapes, including Chatsworth, Haddon, Thornbridge and Lyme Park. For the vulnerability assessment of the houses within these landscapes, please see ‘Country houses’. These estates date back hundreds of years, growing up around a prominent property and sometimes incorporating villages and farms. The collection of buildings has a distinctive style and is usually built with similar materials. The associated parkland can be extensive and aspects are often designed.
At Chatsworth for example, the successive Dukes of Devonshire engaged the services of landscape architects and designers, including Henry Wise, Capability Brown and Sir Joseph Paxton, who input to the design of the landscape. This work includes the creation of water features, bridges and follies. It remains one of the least disturbed parkland landscapes in terms of archaeological earthworks and below-ground archaeology as large parts have not been ploughed for over 250 years. At the privately owned Thornbridge the gardens within the estate incorporate three temples, numerous statues, 46 urns and two grottos. Many of the statues were brought to the estate in the 1930s from the demolition of Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire while others are believed to have been gifts from Greek government.
These estates are enjoyed by visitors as tranquil places that have a sense of history, continuity and tradition. They are also appreciated for the views of the landscape they create, and for the evidence they contain of settlements, farming and land management through time.
# How vulnerable are estate lands and designed landscapes?
Estate lands and designed landscapes in the PDNP have been rated ‘high’ on our vulnerability scale. This score is due to high sensitivity and exposure to climate change variables, a variable current condition, and moderate adaptive capacity.
Many estate lands are well managed and have ongoing maintenance and development plans. The current condition for those held in private ownership is more difficult to determine. Extreme events including heavy rainfall and flooding, but particularly drought, could have a significant impact on estate lands and designed landscapes. There is capacity for adaptation as most have a management plan or similar system in place. Some estates are also given protection through their registered status.
Overall potential impact rating | |
Overall adaptive capacity rating |
# Current condition:
It is difficult to ascertain the condition of estate land and designed landscapes. Generally estate lands and designed landscapes appear to be well managed. The National Trust is the custodian of a number of sites including Lyme Park, and Chatsworth is overseen by the Chatsworth House Trust. They have considerable resources to call upon and include details of their management plans on their websites.
For example, at Chatsworth one extensive project will include planting more than 250,000 flowering perennials, shrubs and trees in a previously undeveloped 15-acre area of garden. The Trout Stream is another area which has been redeveloped.
At the National Trust’s Longshaw Estate a new native tree nursery is being set up. It is made up of a diverse number of species and aims to replace trees that have been lost and to create new woodland. Many estates that are held in private ownership do not publicise their plans and resources, so their condition remains unclear.