Location

It is surrounded by the following local areas:

• Worksop to the north
• Perlethorpe to the south
• Bothamsall and Elkesley to the east
• Carburton and Welbeck to the west.

The A614 Nottingham-Blyth road forms most of the east parish boundary. The park is primarily accessed by Limetree Avenue which branches from this main road and routes into Carburton, Apleyhead Lodge and arch at the north entrance of the avenue, is outside the boundary in Elkesley parish.

The parish consists of Clumber Park which takes up a large majority of the area, the central visitor facilities surrounding the church and gardens, and Hardwick Village which is 1 mile to the north east:

Landscape

As a country park, there are car parks and visitor facilities around the core estate area to the west of the lake. Predominantly, many of the parish residents are clustered around Hardwick village. Outside of these is a light scattering of farms, farmhouses, estate lodges and cottages amongst a wider mainly forested setting. There are some open fields in the east.

Limetree Avenue

Hardwick

This was an ancient hamlet of Worksop parish, but was not reported in the Domesday Book. It formed part of one of the two manors said to have existed in Clumber before the Norman Conquest. These came under the stewardship of Roger de Busli, and not long after were sub-infeuded, or at least much the area, to the family of Lovetot, together with the manor of Worksop. Richard de Lovetot, the son of the founder of the Priory of Worksop, William de Lovetot, by his charter confirmed the gifts of his father to that monastery, among other things, of "two bovates of land in Herthwik at Utware". A mill is noted in Domesday as pertaining to one of the manors at Clumber. Matilda de Lovetot, the heiress of the family, continued the grant of her ancestors with "the whole village of Herthwik."^[8]

In the 14th century reign of Edward I, a charter of free warren was granted to the Priory. Nothing further appears to be known of Hardwick's history until the time of the Dissolution of Monasteries, during the reign of Henry VIII, when it is mentioned with property at Osberton, with which it was removed from their ownership, along with Clumber and Haughton, Hardwyk Graunge and Clumber Graunge. These two latter granges may have been the two old Saxon manors, and were granted to Robert Dighton, who shortly afterwards obtained a licence to transfer Hardwick Grange and woods, with all houses in Osberton and Hardwick, and Worksop, to Richard Whalley. Eventually it came into the hands of William Holles, with it passing down to his eventual descendant John Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle, and formed a part of the estates of Haughton and Clumber. From here its history was shared with Clumber. The later Dukes, from a humane consideration for their labourers, many of whom lived at a distance, erected a group of cottages in the 1850s.^[9] A school was later built in 1880 and was in use until 1932.^[10]

Clumber House

White's Directory in 1853 describes the appearance of the area within the 18th century as follows: "About a hundred years ago, it was one of the wildest tracts of Sherwood Forest, being then little more than a black heath full of rabbits, having a narrow river running through it, with a small boggy close or two.". The area formed part of Sherwood Forest until 1707 when licence was given to the 1st Duke of Newcastle of nearby Welbeck Abbey to enclose it as a deer park for the queen's use.^[11] A ducal hunting lodge was subsequently built by the river.

The First Clumber House

Clumber House

The first house at Clumber was built by Henry Pelham-Clinton, 2nd Duke of Newcastle, a distant relation of John Holles, in c.1760–70. The central core of the house was the original ducal hunting lodge. It was built around this with red brick, the architect being Stephen Wright. The house comprised this large central block with four wings. The large serpentine lake was created 1774–89, and beside it a Greek temple, and a three-arched stone bridge and cascade (1763). There was also built a Roman Doric seat alcove and a grotto (1765–67), along with a series of five gates designed by Wright. The longest double avenue of lime trees in Europe, created by the 5th Duke of Newcastle and extending for more than two miles, was planted in 1840 and named Limetree Avenue. In 1879 a fire burnt down much of the core of the house.^[12]

Post WWII

The building material of Clumber House and many of the contents, including the library and rare manuscripts, were sold to raise money. The grounds were also put up for sale and purchased by the National Trust in 1946. The sole surviving part of Barry's work is the 'Duke's Study' near the lake, with bay windows flanked by pilasters, which is now used as a café. Also surviving are the 18th and 19th century stables and the 18th century brick coach house with central pediment and cupola over the arch. The surviving park and outbuildings such as the chapel, kitchen garden, gates and bridge are intact and mainly are listed structures. The Clumber and Hardwick locations until 1974 were a part of Worksop ancient parish, which was abolished and became a part of the newly formed Bassetlaw district unparished area.^[14] In 1994, Clumber and Hardwick was established as a standalone parish.^[3]

Walled Kitchen Garden

Listed park

Clumber Park is registered as Grade I on the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.^[16]

Listed buildings and locations

Over 20 buildings and structures throughout the parish are listed as features of historical interest, including:^[4]

• St Mary's Church (Grade I)
• Clumber Bridge (Grade II*)
• Several small structures such as gates and miniature temples at Grade II*
• Hardwick War Memorial (Grade II)