Elvaston Castle

Earlier Houses: There was at least one earlier house on, or near, the site of the current house.

House & Family History: During World War II the house was converted into a teacher training college. The Elvaston Castle Estate was sold in 1969 by the 11th Earl of Harrington to Derbyshire County Council, who opened the park to the public in 1970. Since the 1980s Elvaston Castle has been neglected and has fallen into disrepair; since 2008 it has been listed on the English Heritage Buildings at Risk Register. Derbyshire County Council, the owners, estimate that the castle and estate requires £6.5 million in essential repairs.
Garden & Outbuildings: The house sits in a 320-acre park.
Architect: Richard Walker

Date of Birth: ?
Date of Death: ?
Nationality: ?

Date: Circa 1816
Designed: Rebuilt house to Wyatt's designs and possibly incorporated his own designs

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Architect: James Wyatt

Date of Birth: 1746
Date of Death: 1813
Nationality: British
Notes: One of the most important 18th century British architects, James Wyatt was born in Staffordshire in 1746 and received significant recognition in 1770 for the Pantheon (now destroyed), a theater on Regent Street that was modeled after the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. Wyatt's interiors at Heavingham Hall in Suffolk are among his most significant designs, but his most famous work was Fonthill Abbey, the Gothick extravaganza he created for William Beckford in the Wiltshire countryside. He also began the Wyatt dynasty of architects, the most notable member of whom was probably his nephew, Jeffry Wyatt (later Wyatville).

Date: Circa 1815-19
Designed: Rebuilt house in Gothic style for 3rd Earl of Harrington

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Architect: Lewis Nockalls Cottingham

Date of Birth: 1787
Date of Death: 1847
Nationality: British

Date: Circa 1835-36
Designed: Gothic style alterations for 4th Earl of Harrington

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John Bernard (J.B.) Burke, published under the title of A Visitation of the Seats and Arms of the Noblemen and Gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland, among other titles: 2.S. Vol. II, p. 138, 1855.

John Preston (J.P.) Neale, published under the title of Views of the Seats of Noblemen and Gentlemen in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, among other titles: Vol. I, 1818.
Title: Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600-1840, A - HARDBACK
Author: Colvin, Howard
Year Published: 2008
Reference: pgs. 278, 1083, 1188
Publisher: New Haven: Yale University Press
ISBN: 9780300125085
Book Type: Hardback
House Listed: Grade II*

Park Listed: Grade II*
"Women in Love" (1969 - as the Crichs' country house). "The Opening" (2007 - the watchmaker and blacksmith interiors were filmed in the park).
Past Seat / Home of: SEATED AT EARLIER HOUSES: Sir Michael Stanhope, 16th century; Sir John Stanhope, until 1611; Sir John Stanhope, 1611-33. SEATED AT CURRENT HOUSE: Sir John Stanhope, 1633-38; General Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl of Harrington, until 1829; Major-General Charles Stanhope, 4th Earl of Harrington, 1829-51; Leicester FitzGerald Charles Stanhope, 5th Earl of Harrington, 1851-62; Sydney Seymour Hyde Stanhope, 6th Earl of Harrington, 1862-66; Charles Wyndham Stanhope, 7th Earl of Harrington, 1866-81; Charles Augustus Stanhope, 8th Earl of Harrington, 1881-1917; Dudley Henry Eden Stanhope, 9th Earl of Harrington, 1917-28; Charles Joseph Leicester Stanhope, 10th Earl of Harrington, 1928-29; William Henry Leicester Stanhope, 11th Earl of Harrington, 1929-69.

Current Ownership Type: Government

Primary Current Ownership Use: Unoccupied

Ownership Details: Owned by Derbyshire County Council
House Open to Public: Grounds Only
Website: https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk

Historic Houses Member: No

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