HOT WEATHER REVEALS 17TH CENTURY GARDEN AT CHATSWORTH ESTATE

High temperatures across May, June and July have exposed the outline of a formal garden hidden beneath the south lawn at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. The Great Parterre, designed in 1699 for the 1st Duke of Devonshire, has become visible as temperatures exceeded 30°C and conditions turned exceptionally dry in early July. According to the Chatsworth Estate, the contrast between different grass types has temporarily revealed the intricate flower beds and pathways of the original garden. The estate spokesperson said the outline emerges because grass planted over the garden has shallower roots than the original plantings and burns more quickly in heat and drought.

The Great Parterre was designed to complement the newly completed south facade of Chatsworth House. In the 1730s, William Cavendish, the third Duke of Devonshire, introduced landscaping changes that buried the formal garden beneath new turf. The European-style layout has been temporarily exposed before during dry periods, most recently in 2022 and 2018. The periodic visibility depends on sustained heat and low rainfall creating sufficient stress on the overlying grass to reveal the pattern beneath.

This marks the third occasion in seven years that the historical garden has become visible due to meteorological conditions. The estate has not announced plans to permanently uncover or restore the Great Parterre. The temporary nature of such reveals means the garden outline will likely disappear again once rainfall returns and grass regrows.