Places to see: June 2018

Clumber Park

Clumber Park is a picturesque country park in north Nottinghamshire, an area aptly named the Dukeries; it has been the residence of the Pelham-Clinton family and the Dukes of Newcastle - but is now a National Trust property.

It was first recorded in the Domesday Book, then it became a monastic property in the Middle Ages and eventually the home of the Dukes of Newcastle. During its life, it has been enclosed as a deer park and had much of its gardens landscaped, mainly around the River Poulter that runs through the estate. Two serious fires, and the effects of WW1 and the Great Depression, lead to the mansion house being abandoned and eventually demolished in 1938 but there is still plenty left to see on the estate.

The old stables are now home to a café, a Second-hand Bookshop, a National Trust shop with plant sales, a small museum and the new Discovery centre.

There are hundreds if not thousands of ancient trees throughout this park - look out for the Lime Tree Avenue which was planted in 1840 and is 2 miles long - the longest in Europe.

The Church of St Mary is a Gothic Revival Chapel built by the 7th Duke of Newcastle - I particularly liked the different coloured stones that it has been constructed with - making a magnificent building which is now a Grade 1 listed property.

The stonework inside is a pink colour and the stained glass windows are beautiful; but for me, some of the most striking features are the ironwork lamps.

You can hire bicycles and tandems for 2 hours or all day - there are so many cycle routes to follow especially through the woods and farmland. And there are manual wheelchairs to loan (free of charge) as well as powered mobility scooters to hire, so everyone can get around and see more of Clumber park - what a brilliant idea!

The Discovery Centre has lots of "hands-on" exhibits for all the family to get involved with, and information on local wildlife and Clumber's colourful history.

And there are information boards, photographs and models showing what the house and estate has looked like through past years.

Back out onto the lawned gardens, there is a 1/3 size replica model of the Frigate called The Lincoln near the waters edge. You can walk onto this replica boat and imagine how it felt to be on this vessel on the lake. Two hundred years ago, the 6th Duke of Newcastle bought this naval frigate, which measured 32 feet; and it could be seen sailing on the lake with numerous other vessels. Apparently this ship sailed up and down the lake and even fired canons in mock battles.

Walking further around the lake you come to The Clumber Grotto, a well that supplied over 500 people who lived and worked on the estate 100 years ago.

From the far side of the lake, you have a great view of the church, the frigate and the whole lawned area.

Further along you come to the famous Clumber bridge.

There are also Walled Kitchen Gardens to explore, with a Greenhouse, a conservatory, vegetable plots, colourful herbaceous borders and a shop to pick up good value plants. There are over 135 edible varieties of rhubarb and over 100 varieties of apples from the East Midland alone.