In June we hosted two Cascade Donor Evening events to thank £250 and £500 stone sponsors, our Silver and Gold Local Business donors and representatives from some of the Trusts and Foundations that have supported the Cascade project. Lord and Lady Burlington, the Duke and Duchess and Trustees of Chatsworth House Trust also joined us for one of the events. Over 120 people attended in total.
The evenings began with drinks in the Carriage House, where Jane Marriott, Director of Chatsworth House Trust, Sarah Owen, Director of Development and Rob Harrison, Head of Operations, introduced the work of Chatsworth House Trust, the Cascade project and the restoration work respectively. We then moved into the garden, for tours led by Head of Gardens & Landscape Steve Porter and Rob Harrison, visiting the Cascade House, Jack Pond and the Cascade itself.
Our donors were able to see for themselves the problems with the Cascade and hear more about how the restoration will work, with every stone being lifted and those that are damaged being replaced with new stone from nearby Burntwood Quarry. The scale of the work required to restore the Cascade, including cleaning the sculptures on the Cascade House and implementing improved drainage to prevent blockages and improve the flow of water in the Cascade was really brought to life during the tour.
Our guests were treated seeing the waterspouts in the floor of the Cascade House in action, although Rob Harrison assured us that these will be even more impressive once the restoration works are complete.
More than 1,000 stones have now been sponsored and over £300,000 has been raised. Thank you to everyone who has supported the project so far. We will be hosting two further evenings for any new £250 and £500 donors in Spring 2027.
