News from Ilam Park

New additions at Ilam Park

On your next visit to Ilam Park, you may notice some new features in the Italian Garden.

Garden volunteer Bob planting Octavia Hill geraniums in the Regency style urns

Having seen some wonderful photographs of Ilam Park taken 100 years ago (from Derby Library) the Ilam Park gardener and volunteers have been working hard to bring back a prominent feature.

With money gifted to the Gardens Department of the National Trust, 8 Regency style stone urns were purchased, similar to those seen in the old photographs. The urns have been planted with a geranium named “Octavia Hill” which had been grown to commemorate the Centenary of the death of the founder of the National Trust.

So next time you are sitting in the Italian Garden admiring the view towards Thorpe Cloud and Dovedale, take a look at our new stone urns!

Dovedale Discovery

An exciting discovery has been made at Dovedale!

An excavation in Dovedale unearthed a hoard of Late Iron Age and Republican Roman coins, the first time coins of these two origins are thought to have been found buried together in a cave in Britain.

The discovery at Reynard’s Kitchen Cave is significant because not only is it unusual to find Late Iron Age gold coins, but to unearth them actually within a cave setting adds to the mystery surrounding them.

The initial discovery of four coins was made by a member of the public which led the National Trust to carry out a full excavation of the cave.

“In total we found twenty six coins, including three Roman coins which pre-date the invasion of Britain in AD 43,” explains National Trust archaeologist, Rachael Hall.