Cascade Dam, Main Lake, Clumber Park

Summary

This ornamental cascade is situated north-east of Clumber Bridge and is a curvilinear bank of stone acting as a dam or weir within the lake. In the centre of the structure is an artifical island. The current structure is likely to have been constructed in the 1820s and may have replaced an earlier 18th-century cascade located closer to the bridge.

Identification Images (2)

Monument Types

Description

(1) This ornamental cascade is situated northeast of Clumber Bridge.

(2) The cascade is a curvilinear bank of stone acting as a dam or weir within the lake. In the centre of the structure is an artificial island also formed out of rocks but covered on its surface with earth and vegetation. A short rocky promontory extends from the main cascade close to the western side of the island. The cascade is made up of medium to large blocks of limestone that appear to have been roughly squared. Much larger weathered blocks of limestone have been placed on top of this foundation to give the structure a more naturalistic appearance. The structure measures 37.1m in length - the eastern end is 5.67m in width whilst the western side has a maximum width of 5.6m. The island is 20m in length and 9.18m wide.

Work began on a cascade by the bridge in the late 18th century and estate records state that the stone came from either Roche Abbey (dressed) or Creswell (heavily weathered). Further improvements and repairs were made to the cascade during 1822 and 1823. An entry in the diaries of the 4th Duke for the 23rd October 1823 mentions, “working on the cascade: it will be very pretty one day.” (Fletcher 2003). Ten years later there was another phase of alteration and improvement to the cascade, this time under the supervision of Samuel Gray. It is not clear exactly what form these alterations took but they are recorded in an estimate produced by Gray, dated 1834 (NeC 7/287/1). This mentions improvements to the cascade using stone procured from Creswell Crags so it must have involved substantial additional structural work. Gray’s work at Clumber is referred to in a publication of 1838, The Suburban Gardener when he is described as the foremost director of rockworks in the country.

The island and its short promontory may not have been added to the cascade until the late 1830s. A letter to the Duke by Andrew Nesfield (dated 1839) suggests some improvements could be made to the cascade to improve the naturalistic look of the feature. These alterations include the creation of an island and a small promontory to lead from it (Ne7 302/1).

It is conceivable that the earliest cascade (late 18th century) actually lay closer to the bridge. The 18th century cascade is described consistently as lying ‘by the bridge’ and could have stretched across the lake from the inlet. The existence of an earlier cascade closer to the bridge would explain why the current structure was still unfinished in October 1823. It would also indicate that all the work around the engine house and Lady’s Garden was undertaken in the 1820s and 1830s. A plan of 1786 (NeC 4,345) marks the bridge and main roads but does not record the main inlet leading to the engine house. This document may be misleading, as neither does it record the late 18th century cascade or the smaller inlet closer to the bridge.

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