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Set four miles south-east of the city of Derby is Elvaston Castle Country Park, a picturesque site featuring over 200 acres of woodlands, parkland and formal gardens. At the heart of the estate lies Elvaston Castle - a Gothic Revival masterpiece designed by James Wyatt in the early 1800s, based on the original house dating back to 1633. Wyatt's design, built for the 3rd Earl of Harrington, became home to the Stanhope family until the estate was sold by the then Earl of Harrington to Derbyshire County Council in 1968. The Council have operated it as Elvaston Castle Country Park since then. Surrounding the country house are the famous Grade II Listed gardens, pioneered over a 20 year period back in the 1830/40s by William Barron, one of the most influential gardeners of the century. |