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ABOUT US
The Friends of Elvaston was formed in July,
2004, to challenge proposals put forward by Derbyshire
County Council to dispose of the Elvaston Castle Country
Park and Estate to a private real estate development
company (or any other private business), for the purposes
of turning it into an hotel and golf courses.
The sole aim of the Friends of Elvaston is to
see the restoration of Elvaston Castle Country Park,
including the Castle, all outbuildings, Home Farm and the
redemption of the ancient and sacred connections with the
beautiful St. Bartholomew’s church which adjoins it.
Together, these places have formed the hub of village
life in the area for long centuries past and the Estate
has a direct link to royalty and historic figures and has
at times been the background to dramatic events in both
the Wars of the Roses and the English Civil War and as
such is an important part of our heritage.
The Estate was sold by the Stanhope Family in
the sixties and bought by a gravel-extraction company
that intended to remove all the gravel situated there, of
which it is known that there are millions of tons beneath
the Estate. Public opposition made this an impossible
venture and, following a public outcry, the Estate was
jointly purchased in 1968 by the then Derby Borough
Council, and Derbyshire County Council, using a Central
Government subsidy of 75%, through the offices of the
Countryside Commission (now the Countryside Agency).
Following boundary changes in 1974 however,
the Estate came under the single control of Derbyshire
County Council. Originally, a Working Farm Museum was
opened, together with a Natural History Museum, and
cafeteria. Various events were hosted at the Castle for
many years, including the County Show and Steam Rallies.
These events have been held in great stead by the general
public at large, who have continued to visit the Park in
numbers of approximately 700,000 a year, a figure which
has remained more or less constant for the last decade or
more, even though many of the events are no longer held
there. This means that in the last ten years,
approximately 7 million people have enjoyed the beauty
and recreational amenities of the Estate, a phenomenal
and proven demand for any public park or facility,
indeed, there are no doubt quite a few places open to the
public up and down the nation which would envy such vast
visitor numbers!
Derbyshire County Council (like most local
authorities) is wrestling with the challenges posed by
the economic climate and problems with the economy
nationwide and it is no longer able to support the
maintenance and running costs of the Estate.
We believe that, with the restoration of the
Estate, its administration and management by a non-profit
making community group, guided by professional people
from a variety of backgrounds, together with the input
created by the hundreds of thousands of annual visitors
to Elvaston Castle, we can provide not only a nationally
and internationally renowned tourist attraction, but also
somewhere which can provide jobs and employment for many
local people, together with business for local traders
and suppliers.
Further, we also believe that, in the right
hands it can provide training and educational
opportunities for the unemployed and underprivileged,
with a special emphasis on creating openings for young
people, many of whom are alienated and disaffected due to
feelings of frustration, often brought about by the
hopeless situation which they find themselves facing. We
would also like to encourage those young people of
exceptional talent who have not yet had the opportunity
to fully achieve their potential. This could be in any
field or discipline which would benefit both Elvaston and
themselves. This and much more could be provided by the
Estate, properly run and administered.
Over the years we have been at odds with
Derbyshire County Council over the issue of Elvaston
Castle on many well documented occasions. However, it is
said that all roads lead to Rome and all parties
recognise that a solution which is both practical and
acceptable to all must be found. The Council has to be
relieved of the difficult burden of juggling the ever
decreasing financial resources caused by government cuts,
whilst at the same time having to service major public
assets. Following up on the precedents set by the
Localism Bill seems to be the most practical and
effective way to proceed. It is now up to each and every
one of us to get behind these changes and make this new
approach to an old problem work at Elvaston Castle
Country Park. (November 2012)
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