Lost mansion revealed by spring sunshine

The remains of a lost mansion in the Nottinghamshire countryside has had its outline revealed by the baking spring sunshine.

With the UK experiencing the driest spring in over a century, water usually in the soil has evaporated away to reveal the outline of the stately home which once stood at the heart of Clumber Park, near Worksop.

Outlines of the walls of Clumber House, which was taken down in 1938, and its formal garden terrace have started to show at the National Trust site.

The trust said the "parch marks" are "giving visitors a window into the rich history of the park".

A spokesperson for Clumber Park said: "Clumber House was considered one of the finest non-Royal houses in the country.

"Built in the late 1760s, the house had over 100 rooms filled with paintings and treasures, as well as particularly impressive gardens."

Countryside manager Gareth Jones, who took the aerial images, said last year up to 22 May, 280mm of rain fell on the estate.

This year, he has recorded just 120mm.

The shadows of the past structures were previously revealed during the dry summer of 2018, when a previously unknown sundial was revealed by the imprints in the earth.

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