A team from the Prince's Trust spent a

good day at Nutwood on March 11, 2010

working on the restoration of the

masonry to the original site and to

indicate if possible what it was like.


Alan Bradwell, of the Darley Abbey Historical Group, mentioned the ‘temple' in his research report no 14 dated January 7, 2007:

The Evans laid out their estates with parks and gardens, with greenhouses for peaches and bananas for their and their visitors' entertainment.  Darley Hall had walled gardens and shrubberies above the Hall and grounds extending southwards down to the river and to the edge of Derby at Strutt's Park.  Darley House had grounds down to the river and extending northwards with terraced walks along the steep banks of Nutwood Brook.  There was a fountain and a well and a summerhouse in the fields behind the Vicarage and a Temple at the head of Nutwood Brook.

Further on in his report Alan deals with the reconstruction:

One stone wall of the Temple still stands (Fig 15) at the head of Nutwood Brook.  Recent examination of the site has shown that most of the stonework (Fig. 17) for the other walls and, significantly, the two turned columns for the front (Fig. 18) and the cornice (Fig. 16) , are still present down the steep bank, having been pushed there by vandalism.  The Temple could be rebuilt (Fig. 19), similar to the design in Markeaton Park (Fig. 20) and landscaped as a feature in the new Nutwood Park; it may be worthy of Listing Grade II.

fig15

fig16

fig17

fig18

fig19

fig20

Concluding his report Alan suggests, that the ruined Temple at the head of Nutwood should be repaired; the original 19th century stonework materials are available in the valley.

Kelly Coleman, Team leader for the Prince's Trust explains:

"The Prince's Trust Team Program is a 12 week personal development program aimed at young people between the ages of 16 and 25. The aim of the program is to help team members increase their employability skills and develop their confidence, teamwork and leadership skills."

"As part of the program, team members go on a team building residential, take part in fundraising events, complete a project to benefit the local community and work placements. Team members learn to interact with other people and groups within the community, helping them to improve their communication skills and increase their awareness of the impact their actions can have."

Kelly continues:

As their Team Leader, I was very proud of the team and how they all worked hard to ensure they completed the project in the short space of time they had. I think the project helped the team to work on their leadership skills and improve their teamwork skills. It gave them the opportunity to put something back into the community, feel a sense of achievement and take pride in the work they had completed.  Projects like these help us to give young people the chance to improve skills and see where they fit into their local community, as well as providing them with the opportunity to challenge the stereotype of how young people can be viewed in today's society. I think that everyone involved in this project, and the local community all benefited from the involvement with the Prince's Trust Team 110.

Left to right: Keith Dodd, Ashley Millington, Holly McCabe, Kirsty Palmer, Alyssa Newell, Ross Steer, Beth Hanna, Lauren Edwards, Frances Bray, Kelly Coleman (Team Leader), Jodie Akers, Lewis Thompson, Sam Alderton, Adam Nicklin, Lee Broughton

To find out more about the Prince's Trust, go to:

http://www.princes-trust.org.uk/default.aspx

Dr Keith Dodd, Chairman of the Management Group said:

I am really excited about the result of last week's work on the "Temple". I was most impressed by the group's enthusiasm and the hard work they put in. It was a pleasure to have a group from the Prince's Trust to help on the Nature Reserve, and I hope they'll want to return some time; I'm sure there are plenty of other projects they could help with.

HELP!

It would be great to have an information board at the temple

For a full restoration, heavy columns would have to be lifted out of the stream bed which is a difficult task

If anybody can help please contact Keith Dodd