The Elvaston Castle Estate Trust (ECET) is a group who wish to submit a bid to Derbyshire County Council to lease Elvaston Castle.

Elvaston Castle is a 19th Century listed building and gardens of national importance. The Estate Trust's brief is to preserve and restore the House, reversing years of neglect, and keep it open to the public. The Trust was formed in response to the threat that Derbyshire County Council might lease the Castle and Country Park to a time-share concern or other private business who would convert the castle into a business venture such as a hotel and close off the whole of the castle building and many parts of the grounds to the public. The Trust proposes a vision of the House restored and the Park always open to the public, as it was meant to be.

The Estate Trust is far more than just a group of local people wanting to keep the castle open to the public. The Trust is a group of highly motivated, organised and knowledgeable individuals who have the ambition and skills to lease the estate and run it as a sustainable tourist attraction, ploughing all the profits back into the restoration and maintenance of the castle and grounds.

We have consulted with experts in the Heritage field, and met with an outpouring of public support after taking the plan to community groups. The Trust submitted an expression of interest in leasing the Castle, compliant with the Dec. 3, 2002 deadline set by Derbyshire County Council, but our initial bid was rejected and, instead, alternate bids for the castle from private business were instead considered as the council believed these to be more suitable, despite the fact that both bids would see the closure of the estate to the public.

Elvaston Castle is eligible for Heritage funds that have never been tapped; the Trust's plan includes writing a Heritage Lottery Fund proposal, for a major grant (over £8 million.) This, together with promised backing from a local business, would see the Estate in safe hands with the ECET and provide the public with a guarantee that the Estate in it's entirety would be restored to its former glory and would remain open to the public.

FRIENDS OF ELVASTON CASTLE

The Friends of Elvaston Castle group support the Estate Trust's campaign to lease Elvaston Castle Estate from Derbyshire County Council, to maintain and restore its listed buildings and gardens as a publicly accessible site.

The Friends group currently help to raise awareness and support for the campaign and also support fund-raising activities to pay towards the initial cost of mounting the bid for the Castle lease.

To find out more about the Friends of Elvaston Castle group and perhaps to even lend your own support to the group, click here.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Much more detail about the Elvaston Castle Estate Trust's plans and proposals for securing the future of the estate can be found in our Executive Summary document. This is viewable on the website by clicking here.