Duke responds to use of lottery cash for £7m restoration work at Chatsworth House

Chatsworth House Trust has been awarded £422,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to help kickstart its ‘Celebrating the Cascade’ project. It will help the charity start work to restore the famous Grade I listed Cascade.

Built more than 325 years ago, the iconic structure is made up of a temple with spouts and fountains, and 24 steps that water flows over, which descend approximately 60 metres.

But the donation has been met with surprise by members of the public who assumed it would be funded by owners, the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, thought to control a fortune in excess of £900m.

On Facebook, reader Neill Cocker said: “One of the most expensive places to visit, is being supported by lottery grants? What am I missing here?”

Tez Horton-Mckay was among those of a similar opinion, saying: “If they can’t afford to maintain it themselves, sell a few paintings – I’m sure they’ll not miss ‘em. Or even turn it off full stop. Or sell the whole house and let it be turned into something useful like a huge hotel and spa.”

A Chatsworth spokesperson stressed the Duke does not benefit financially from ticket sales, and that income goes directly to the Chatsworth House Trust, the charity responsible for the long-term upkeep, preservation and improvement of the estate – work with wider public benefits, given the its status as a site of national importance.

The spokesperson said: “This project lies within the remit of trust, the charity that maintains the house, garden, collection and park for everyone to enjoy. The trust generates most of its income from ticket sales and friends memberships, however this income does not cover all of the work that the trust needs to undertake.

“The backlog of structural repairs at Chatsworth is growing all the time due to the nature of being a heritage site. The cascade project will cost an estimated £7m, and it would not be possible to preserve and restore for future generations without funding from the NHLF.”

The Duke's son, Lord Burlington said: “The Cascade is one of the most popular features at Chatsworth and ‘Celebrating the Cascade’ is a major project.”