Our work outdoors at Clumber Park

Clumber Park is a special and important place, one of just a handful of Grade I registered parks in the country. Conservation is at the heart of what we do, restoring historical landscapes and protecting rare species and habitats for everyone to enjoy.

The park at Clumber

With more than 3,800 acres of woodland, heath and parkland, Clumber Park’s natural beauty is why it is one of the top five most visited National Trust places. Carved from Sherwood Forest, Clumber Park is an important example of a designed landscape.

Protecting Clumber Park’s future

Clumber Park should be a special place for ever, for everyone and conservation is key. Working to enrich the landscape and wildlife of the park, the vision is for a renewed and revitalised Clumber Park where the historic beauty of the place can be enjoyed well into the future.

Park restoration at Clumber Park

A collaborative approach

The National Trust is working closely with long-term tenant farmer, Will Pringle, alongside Natural England on significant conservation work.

The work on the farmland has been part of the Higher Countryside Stewardship Agreement and involved converting 190 hectares of arable farmland to woodland pasture using a variety of land management techniques.

The Pringle family have been working the land for generations; they arrived at Hardwick Grange farm in 1938 and since then, the land has been used for arable and pasture farming and in the 1950s, the farm was host to a dairy farm.

By 2019, all 190 hectares of land was managed for arable use. The change of land management to wood pasture has been done in the interest of sustainability to the farmland and increase the benefits to wildlife that the land can have.

The Duke’s Orchard

At the end of 2021, work began to reinstate the Duke’s Orchard, a long-lost feature of Clumber Park. The orchard is 1 hectare in size and is located in Cow Pastures, adjacent to our famous walled kitchen garden.

Traditionally, the orchard would have supplied fruit to the ducal family and has been recreated using historic documents and old ordinance survey maps to reintroduce a new nature destination for visitors to enjoy for decades to come.

The newly created orchard has seen 100 trees be planted, surrounded by wildflower meadow and hedgerow that contain Hawthorn and Blackthorn that can be picked during the autumn. Within the orchard, benches are placed to welcome visitors to sit and watch nature in action.

Once the Duke’s Orchard becomes fully established over the coming years, visitors will have the opportunity to pick fruit from the trees and forage from the hedgerow surrounding the orchard.

Sunset over Clumber Bridge | © Steve Bradley

Restoring the Ornamental Bridge

Back in March 2018, the stunning Ornamental Bridge was damaged by a devastating act of vandalism. It took more than two years for the iconic Grade II* listed bridge to be restored to its former glory.

The bridge was rebuilt using sections of the original stonework, recovered from the River Poulter beneath it, as well as specially created stone provided by Croft Building and Conservation.

This also provided the opportunity to carry out other essential work to other areas of the bridge, thanks to funds raised by supporters after the incident occurred.

This wouldn’t have been possible without the skills and expertise of our partners at Rodney Melville + Partners, and Croft Building and Conservation, or the continued and overwhelming commitment of our visitors, members, volunteers, and staff.

The project was completed in spring 2022 and the bridge is now fully reinstated, offering a unique viewpoint of the Chapel spire and the beautiful parkland.

Double avenue of lime trees — Lime Tree Avenue at Clumber Park | © Andrew Butler

Saving Lime Tree Avenue

A trip along Lime Tree Avenue transports you to a time when the Dukes of Newcastle spent their days enjoying all the grandeur Clumber Park has to offer. As one of the historic features that welcomes you to the park, the 200-year-old tree-lined avenue provides a glimpse into the park’s past.

Sadly, the future of Lime Tree Avenue is under threat, as years of soil compaction has led to a serious decline in tree health, with a recent survey showing a significant fungal attack on around 50 trees, with the problem worsening year-on-year. As the problem continues as many as four lime trees a year are being lost. To combat the declining tree health, wooden pegs are being installed along key sections where the trees are deemed to be most sensitive to damage.

Visitors can support us by not parking along Lime Tree Avenue and instead using our designated parking areas around the park.