Parched grass reveals 'lost' 17th Century garden

The recent high temperatures have revealed the outline of an ornate and "lost" 17th Century garden at the Chatsworth Estate.

The Great Parterre, which is beneath the south lawn at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, was designed in 1699 for the 1st Duke of Devonshire, to complement the newly completed south facade of the house.

This is not the first time the European-style formal garden has been exposed due to the hot and dry weather - it was also revealed during dry spells in 2022 and 2018.

A spokesperson for the estate said after temperatures exceeded 30C in May, June and July, and with the "exceptionally dry" start to July, the lawn was "parched enough for history to reveal itself once again".

The spokesperson added the intricate flower beds and pathways of the Great Parterre disappeared beneath a new landscape in the 1730s in changes introduced by William Cavendish, the third Duke of Devonshire.

"The grass that was laid to replace the flowerbeds and paths has shorter roots, so it burns more quickly when temperatures are high and dry, creating a contrast and temporarily revealing the swirling patterns of the first Duke's original garden underneath," they said.

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