Heatwave reveals historic features at National Trust properties

The hot weather this summer has turned the fields and gardens of England from its customary luscious green to a blanket shade of brown. 

But one interesting side effect of the heatwave has been the emergence of traces of Britain’s architectural heritage. 

Photos shared exclusively with MailOnline show the ghostly remains that have emerged at National Trust properties. 

At the 17th-century Gawthorpe Hall in Lancashire, the lack of rain has revealed the footpaths of the Victorian parterre garden, which was installed in the 1860s. The parterre was removed after the Second World War due to maintenance costs.

The 800-year-old Mottisfont Abbey, in Hampshire, has thrown up the remnants of a long-lost Medieval priory and Tudor mansion.   

And at Attingham Park, in Shropshire, the old drains that run beneath the property’s 18th-century parkland have been revealed by the hot weather. 

The other properties that have thrown up their secrets are Powis Castle in Wales and Polesden Lacey in Surrey. 

The remnants of what are believed to have been greenhouses have revealed themselves at the former, whilst what is left of an elegant water feature has emerged at the latter. 

It comes after the hot weather revealed a 17th-century garden at Chatsworth Estate in Derbyshire. Drone footage shows the outline of the long-lost feature. 

Head of gardens and landscape at Chatsworth Steve Porter described the garden as a ‘hidden gem’, offering ‘a glimpse back into the past’.

The European-style formal garden, measuring 473 to 227 feet, was designed in 1699 for the 1st Duke of Devonshire and is part of a 105-acre garden.

Gawthorpe Hall, Lancashire 

Although it was originally built during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in the 16th-century, Gawthorpe was redesigned in the 1850s by Sir Charles Barry, the designer of the Houses of Parliament and Highclere Castle, where the hit series Downton Abbey was filmed.

Barry also re-designed the gardens at both the front and back of the property. The one at the back is smaller and so was kept after the Second World War. 

The one at the front was removed because it became too onerous to maintain. 

Besides the image taken in 1910, the only other way to see the original garden would be through archive records of the historic plans. 

The new photo shows the intricate outline of the parterre.

Mottisfont Abbey, Hampshire 

At Mottisfont Abbey, which was among the monasteries dissolved by King Henry VIII in the 16th century, the Medieval remnants that have revealed themselves are of the original priory building and the Tudor mansion that also stood. 

The original priory was founded in 1201 by William Briwere, who was a key figure in the royal courts of five Plantagenet kings. 

Mottisfont once held what was believed to be the forefinger of St John the Baptist, prompting eager pilgrims to visit the site to be blessed. 

The original buildings were demolished after the site had ceased to be a religious establishment and was sold to Lord Sandys. 

Sandys converted the church into the house that still stands today. The buildings revealed in the parch marks survived in some form until the 1740s as part of the modernisation of the current house.   

Attingham Park, Shropshire 

Attingham Park dates from the late 18th-century, when it was built for Noel Hill, the 1st Baron Berwick. 

The estate is made up of around 4,000 acres, with 640 acres making up the parkland. 

The drains revealed by the hot weather would once have carried waste from the main property, Attingham Hall. 

Powis Castle, Powys, Wales 

The footings of what are believed to be greenhouses at Powis Castle, in Powys, Wales, emerged on the property’s Apple Lawn and Fountain Garden. 

The castle was built in the 13th-century by the Welsh ruler of Powys, Gruffudd ap Gwenwynwyn. 

The property and its garden was redesigned by George Herbert the 4th Earl of Powis, in the late 19th-century. 

He allowed his wife Violet to manage and improve the garden and she worked on the project for more than 18 years. 

She relocated a kitchen garden she considered unsightly and built in its place an Edwardian formal garden with flat open spaces set within hedges and walls. 

Polesden Lacey, Surrey 

Between 1907 and 1942, Polesden Lacey was the weekend retreat of society hostess Dame Margaret Greville and was the setting for lavish parties attended by people including King Edward VII and Winston Churchill.

The water feature revealed in the new image – on Polesden Lacey’s South Lawn – is believed to have been removed after Mrs Greville acquired the house in 1907. 

The South Lawn is is the most popular area of Polesden Lacey’s garden. 

Dame Margaret and her husband Ronald had elaborate plans for the gardens that would have included formal terracing, statues and more water features. However, they were never fulfilled.  

Tom Dommett, the National Trust’s head of historic environment, said: ‘During times of drought the vegetation over buried walls becomes stressed as the thin soil retains less moisture than the deeper surrounding soils, where the vegetation retains a greener healthier colour. 

‘These “parch marks” can help us identify sites which would otherwise be completely invisible to us, from the ghost of the parterre at Ilam Park to the site of the old mansion at Clumber Park. 

‘The parch marks can be very clear, providing a fantastic opportunity for visitors to walk through the layouts of lost buildings and gardens. 

‘Some parch marks are well-known, but there are always surprises and exciting new discoveries to look out for.’

Heatwave drought reveals secret garden that has remained hidden for 300 years: Drone footage shows remains of 17th century lawn at Chatsworth Estate after grass dried in sunshine

• The ‘hidden gem’ was designed for the 1st Duke of Devonshire in 1699 and offers ‘a glimpse back into the past’
•  Known as the Great Parterre, the old garden features an intricate arrangement of flowerbeds and pathways
• It is part of a 105-acre garden at the Chatsworth Estate, Derbyshire, which is in the Peak District National Park
• The estate’s been in the Devonshire family for 16 generations and is leased to Chatsworth House Trust charity

By Tara Cobham for MailOnline 

A garden that has been hidden for almost three hundred years has been uncovered as a result of the recent heatwave.

Incredible new drone footage and photos show the remains of the 17th Century garden, known as the Great Parterre, at the Chatsworth Estate in Derbyshire.

Head of gardens and landscape at Chatsworth Steve Porter described the garden as a ‘hidden gem’, offering ‘a glimpse back into the past’.

The European-style formal garden, measuring 473 to 227 feet, was designed in 1699 for the 1st Duke of Devonshire and is part of a 105-acre garden.

The intricate arrangement of flowerbeds and pathways was created to provide a setting for the Duke’s newly finished South Front of the house.

Just 30 years later the historic garden was grassed over and replaced with the South Lawn.

Since then, it lay hidden under a thin layer of soil and grass, until the remnants emerged earlier this week.

As temperatures across the UK rocketed, peaking as high as 40C in some areas, the grass in the new lawn became parched quicker due to its shorter roots, revealing the elaborate design of the old garden beneath.

Mr Porter told ITV: ‘We can clearly see the intricate patterns of the historic gardens at the moment.

‘The current heatwave is causing us issues elsewhere in the garden but here it has revealed a hidden gem not enjoyed properly for nearly 300 years!

‘We knew it was there but of course it’s normally a green lawn so everything is hidden.

‘It is only revealed during periods of extreme heat, so climate change may make that more frequent in the years ahead.

‘It will disappear again when temperatures drop and we get some rain but in the meantime it’s wonderful to get a glimpse back into the past.’

Chatsworth Estate, located in the Peak District National Park, has been in the Devonshire family for 16 generations and is currently being leased to the Chatsworth House Trust charity.

The wider garden is currently undergoing its biggest transformation for almost 200 years.

And while Mr Porter told the BBC that a full restoration of the old garden is not expected to be happening soon, he hoped it could be recreated with gravel after the grass had made a recovery. 

He added: ‘Every time you look you almost see more of the detail, more of the scrolls of the beds and more of the paths and it sort of brings it all back to life and you realise just how intricate and just how amazing it would have been.’