In 2023, Chatsworth House Trust was awarded £422,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to help kick start the project.
To assess the full extent of the damage beneath the Cascade, we have conducted exploratory work and archaeological and archival research. We will be undertaking laser scans and hydraulic and ecological surveys to understand its state of disrepair.
A fundamental element of the project is a public outreach programme designed to make the Cascade, and the whole of Chatsworth, feel more accessible to all our visitors. We are working closely with partners such as Derbyshire MIND and the Cavendish Learning Trust to explore learning opportunities and the well-being benefits of visiting the Cascade.
In spring 2025, we will apply to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for nearly £5 million to help fund this major project which is likely to take at least two years.
We will lift the stones on most of the 23 steps and use skilled and apprentice stone masons to match any of the individual tooling marks on at least 60% of the stones. We will create a more robust sub-base for the stones to rest on with a waterproof barrier, strengthen the subsoils after years of saturation, repair and strengthen the walls of the tunnel, and repair or replace the hydraulic workings, valves and finials. In addition, the stone works of the Cascade House and sculptures will be cleaned and repaired.
