Ilam Park

Ilam Park

Ilam Park is a beautiful area of open park and woodland, running on both banks of the River Manifold with spectacular views towards Dovedale. The park is about 4.5 miles north-west of Ashbourne in Derbyshire. Within the park there is a National Trust shop, tearoom, information centre (situated in the original stable block) and an education room for visiting school groups.
	The River Manifold usually dries up during the summer with the water flowing six miles underground, having disappeared below ground near Wetton Mill. It emerges in the park from several 'Boil Holes' before flowing on to join the River Dove. The 'Boil Holes' are so known as the water appears to bubble and boil as it appears from underground. The River Hamps also emerges from underground a few yards up river inside a small cave and together they form the largest such rising in the country.
From the park there are fine views of the hills of Thorpe Cloud and Bunster Hill, the 'portals of Dovedale'. The park has 84 acres of superb parkland and broad leaved woodland to explore. Alongside the river is the Paradise Walk, a remnant from the Victorian era. The woodland fringing the walk consists of lime, yew and beech and was planted as a 'pleasure ground' for the occupants of the hall.
	Since the Hall was originally built in the 13th century it has been substantially altered. It was first restored in 1618. Ilam Hall was owned by the Port family for 250 years, from the time when it was handed to them by Henry VIII, after the dissolution of the monasteries. In 1809 it was sold to David Pike-Watts upon whose death the estate went to his daughter Mary.
Ilam Hall was rebuilt in a lavish style during the 1820's for Jesse Watts-Russell (Mary's husband) to the designs of the architect John Tubshawe (who had worked on Alton Towers). John Tubshawe designed the new hall in a grand gothic style with lavish formal rooms, soaring towers, and ornamental chimneys and parapets. Jesse Watts-Russell also had the village of Ilam built to designs by Sir George Gilbert in a Swiss Alpine style. The village cross was erected in 1840 in memory of his wife Mary.
	On the death of Jesse Watts-Russell in 1875 the estate passed into the hands of the Hanbury family, who sold it in 1927 to a Mr Backhouse. Mr Backhouse ran the hall as a luxury hotel with a restaurant and golf course, but the enterprise was not a success and the hall was sold to a demolition contractor. A large part of the hall was demolished in the 1930's but was saved from total destruction by the intervention of a local conservationist, F.A. Holmes.
Mr Holmes persuaded Sir Robert McDougall (the flour magnate) to buy the hall and grounds. (They were aided by contributions from the Cadbury family and the Carnegie Trust). About three-quarters of the hall was demolished, but the remainder was made good and presented to the National Trust in 1934 on the understanding that it was to be used, as it is today, as an international youth hostel. (The hall is not open to the general public). The youth hostel opened its doors in 1935.
	St. Bertram's Bridge used to carry the old road over the River Manifold, however a new bridge was built in Ilam village to take traffic away from the hall. In 1839 the bridge was restored after being weakened by the huge loads of stone which were taken across the bridge to build the hall.
From the bridge the two weirs in the river present as very pleasant view, with the wooded hills in the background. This park is a very pleasant place to visit with a number of interesting and intriguing points to see.
A gentle stroll around the estate takes about an hour to complete and the tearoom is a delightful place to finish off a visit.

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