It’s easy to be transfixed by the sight of the Cascade at night this festive season, as red and purple lights glimmer on either side, drawing the eye up to the Cascade House, which glows deep orange.

It’s also easy to imagine that transforming the Cascade with lights is a feature only of modern Chatsworth. But as our archives attest, this is not the case: nearly two hundred years ago, the 6th Duke of Devonshire was renown for creating spellbinding displays in his newly developed ‘pleasure-ground’, into which the early 18th Century Cascade was enthusiastically incorporated.

This year, the Cascade House takes centre stage in our light display.  Water flow down the Cascade itself has been switched off since early 2024, to protect the Grade I listed structure and the surrounding ground from worsening the damage caused by centuries of use.

Next year, work to restore the Cascade will begin in earnest, with hoardings going up to keep our visitors safe whilst the works take place. This makes 2025 the last chance to see the Cascade lit up in this way until 2028.  

In the spring, we will begin to lift the stones on the 23 steps, using skilled stonemasons to match the tooling marks of the stones. We will create a more robust sub-base for the stones to rest on and strengthen the subsoil due to years of saturation.

The walls of the tunnel beneath the Cascade, used originally for transporting coal to the Great Conservatory, will be repaired; and the hydraulic workings, valves and finials that make the Cascade flow will be repaired or replaced. 

Where the existing stone is too damaged to be reused, new stone blocks will be added. This stone has been sourced from Burntwood Quarry near Beeley, which was used by the 6th Duke of Devonshire when he was making changes to Chatsworth in the 19th Century and, more recently, during the Chatsworth Masterplan

The newly quarried stone is now ready to be moved and dressed into blocks before it plays its part in the restored Cascade.

You can join us in restoring the Cascade by sponsoring a stone in your name or that of a loved one, for a donation of £100. This is the perfect Christmas present for someone who loves Chatsworth and wants to become part of an inspiring chapter in the Cascade’s history. 

We are grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players for a major grant of almost £5 million to support the restoration of the Cascade, but we still need to raise £1 million. More than 680 stones have already been sponsored, and more than £160,000 has been generously donated by our Friends and supporters.

By sponsoring a stone, you too can help us bring the Cascade back to life.   

LEARN MORE

Look out for a new programme of Cascade-related events on our website in early 2026.