Elvaston Castle
Elvaston Castle is located in South Derbyshire on the edge of the City of Derby and close to the National Forest. It is strategically located in the M1 and A50 primary corridors between the East and West Midlands. Elvaston Castle is easily accessed from East Midlands Airport and East Midlands Parkway railway station. The buildings and parkland have huge potential for greater tourism, leisure and related uses.
Description
Elvaston Castle is a gothic revival masterpiece designed by James Wyatt in the early 1800s and is based on an original house that dated back to 1633. Both the house and gardens are Listed for their special architectural and historical interest. The gardens are renowned for their rockwork structures and fine examples of topiary, originally introduced and designed by William Barron in the 19th Century.
The Castle itself has been largely inaccessible to the public for many years, but Derbyshire County Council has been renovating and securing the buildings by investing in Listed structures, repairs to the Castle roof and clock tower and restoration of the golden gates. Further repairs are programmed to enable weddings, conferences and meetings to be held at the venue.
The Castle estate is a popular visitor destination currently attracting around 350,000 visitors each year. The estate extends to 320 acres of open parkland, woodland and more formal historic gardens, including a showground which hosts major events including the Derbyshire County Show and Derbyshire Woodland Festival.
Following the production of a vision for the estate produced by Derbyshire County Council in partnership with the National Trust, a masterplan for the estate has been created. The masterplan aims to tackle the legibility of the estate by relocating the car park adjacent to the historic buildings at the core of the estate. These building will be restored and converted to accommodate uses to enhance visits to Elvaston.
Investment Opportunities
Elvaston Castle offers significant opportunities for visitor, hospitality, retail, craft, leisure and other developments appropriate to the setting. The site is very accessible and lies on the outskirts of the City of Derby, which has a population of over 250,000.
