C18 landscape park of c.1600ha, containing 8ha of CI9 and early C20 formal and ornamental gardens.
Landscape park, pleasure grounds and gardens to Clumber, a country house constructed in 1768-78. A licence to empark the park was granted in 1709 and landscaping took place between 1768 and 1788 by Henry Fiennes-Clinton Pelham-Clinton, possibly with advice from Lancelot Brown in 1764. Garden designs during this period have been attributed to Stephen Wright and John Simpson. Further changes to the garden and park took place during the 1820s and 1830s, including designs by William Sawrey Gilpin during the 1820s. Other possible designers include Sydney Smirke in 1829, William Andrews Nesfield in 1837, Sir Charles Berry in 1857 and William Eden Nesfield circa 1860s. By 1860s the pleasure grounds had been laid out. Most of the garden terraces and parterres were removed in 1938. In 1974 the terraces were restored. (14)

Clumber was built 1768-78 by Stephen Wright for the Duke of Newcastle, designs for alterations 1814 by Benjamin Dean Wyatt, c.1830, possibly by Sir Robert Smirke. Following a fire 1879, the central area was rebuilt by Charles Barry the younger. The house was demolished in 1938. Among the surviving related buildings the chapel, 1880-89 (St Mary's Church) stands 100m to east of site, as do CI9 walled kitchen gardens, 2ha, 400m to north.

Clumber lake, 2.5km long, lies to south-east of the (site of the) house, formed 1774-89 by damming river Poulter 1.5km to north-east of house. Stephen Wright designed several garden buildings; across the lake, primitive Doric temple, echoing the temple by Stuart at Hagley; Clumber Bridge, with cascade downstream, 1763 or later, at the west end of the lake, with a grotto,1765-67, on the northern bank nearby. In the C19, extensive formal avenues were laid out - the Lime Tree Avenue, c.1830, from Paddock Wood north-east to Apleyhead Lodge, was 5km (now 3km) long, with four parallel rows of limes. A formal region was designed by WS Gilpin along Lincoln Terrace, north-east of the house, parallel to the lake; restored 1974. The area between the house and the lake was given geometrical terraces and parterres in the 1890s (see Country Life, 19 Sept 1908); demolished when the house was destroyed in 1938; outlines remain. (2)

The park was created under licence from Queen Anne in 1709 from the Royal Forest of Sherwood. John Holles, Duke of Newcastle, was Warden of the Forest and on the death of the Queen it became his property. House first built 1767, more improvements in second half of C18 and into C19. The bounds of the Park are given in the licence of 1709. Some, if not most of the area was sheepwalk before being enclosed for the Park (See Clumber, village). Low boundary banks were noted at Carburton and at South Lodge. These may be the remains of the Park pale or a boundary bank. The bank is about 4m wide above the dam. It is about 0.75m high with a ditch on the park side. It forms one side of the pond for some distance and is reduced in height. Below the pond the bank runs right to the river bank. (9) (10)

There is a classical bridge at Clumber Park (see also SK 67 SW 10). There is a particularly fine series of two gate piers and five lodges at the seven entrances to Clumber Park. Photo shows one of the gate piers. The lakeside garden at Clumber was designed by William Sawrey Gilpin (12)

Landscape park with formal and ornamental gardens to Clumber, a country house constructed in 1768-78. The park was enclosed in 1707 and landscaped by Capability Brown during the late 18th century. Features include a lake formed in 1774-89 by the damming of the River Poulter. During the 19th century formal avenues were laid out including the Lime Tree avenue which was planted in circa 1830. Formal gardens were also laid out in the 19th century to the northeast of the house. These were restored in 1974. Another area of formal gardens were set out in the 1890s but were destroyed when the house was demolished in 1938. The National Trust intends to re-establish the layout of the formal gardens to what it was prior to the demolition of the mansion. Excavation and machine stripping of 20th century overburden took place in 1995. This exposed foundation walls, steps, gravelled paths and drains which will provide the basis for restoration work. (13)
Now owned by the National Trust.

Data Held (Document). SNT2647.

(9), Arch Office

Ed Dennison, 2002, The Fishpond, Clumber Park, Worksop, Nottinghamshire: Archaeological Observation and Recording During Stitch Repairs to Mining Subsidence (Unpublished document). SNT6449.

A. Mora-Ottomano, 2009, Archaeological Building Recording and Test Pit Excavation at the former Brewhouse, Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire (Unpublished document). SNT6450.

C. Halton, 2016, An Archaeological Watching Brief at Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire (Unpublished document). SNT6451.

<1> Notts Historic Gardens Trust, 1995-1997, Notts Historic Parks and Gardens Files (Unpublished document). SNT4553.

<2> English Heritage, 1984, Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England - Part 33, Notts (Published document). SNT4554.

<3> Anthony J, 1979, The Gardens of Britain, p 6 (Monograph). SNT418.

<4> Binney M and Hills A, 1979, Elysian Gardens (Published document). SNT4557.

<5> Holme C, 1908, Gardens of England in the Midland and Eastern Counties, pp 38-41 (Published document). SNT4558.

<6> Pevsner N, 1979, The Buildings of England: Nottinghamshire 2nd ed., p 100 (Monograph). SNT4.

<7> Throsby J, 1796, Thoroton's History of Notts Vol 3, pp 405-7 (Published document). SNT1347.

<8> Thoroton Society, 1967, TTS, pp 72-89 (Published document). SNT380.

<9> Beamish HJH, 1986, Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire, East Midlands - The National Trust Archaeological Survey (Monograph). SNT35.

<10> Clifton JM, 1979, Clumber Park - BA Dissertation, Nottm Univ (Unpublished document). SNT565.

<11> National Trust, 1973, Properties of the National Trust, p. 120 (Published document). SNT6445.

<12> J. Anthony, Discovering Period Gardens, p. 62, 75 (Published document). SNT6446.

<13> English Heritage, 1984, Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England - Part 33, Notts (Published document). SNT4554.

<14> M Symes, 1993, A Glossary of Garden History, pp. 18, 23, 55, 56, 74, 137 (Published document). SNT6447.

<14> Historic England, 2021, National Record of Historic Environment (Digital archive). SNT5271.