A centuries-old garden has emerged from the scorched lawns of Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, as weeks of searing temperatures and minimal rainfall reveal the outlines of a 17th-century parterre. Estate workers were startled to find the ghostly design of the Great Parterre — a 473-by-277-foot arrangement of swirling flowerbeds and paths — imprinted on the dead grass. Created around 1699 for the first Duke of Devonshire, it was flattened 31 years later by the third duke, William Cavendish. The grass planted over the parterre has shorter roots, making it burn faster in hot, dry weather. The garden first appeared during a heatwave in 2018, then again in 2022 when temperatures hit a historic 38.1°C at Chatsworth. This year, weather monitoring recorded peaks above 30°C in May, June and July, with the estate 33% sunnier than normal — 530.8 hours of light — and rainfall 32% below average at 108.2mm. South-east England saw no rain from 2 to 18 July, the longest dry stretch since 1995. Hosepipe bans are now in effect, with Thames Water and South East Water asking customers to cut usage; reservoir levels stand at 79%, five percentage points lower than average.
While the stately home’s secret garden emerges, a different kind of shelter is proving useful for residents in Port Talbot. There, the M4 motorway — which opened on 22 July 1966 — sits 45ft above back gardens, carrying 75,000 vehicles daily. Narelle Cowan, a 34-year-old property developer, has three of the motorway’s pillars in her garden. “I use one to help hang my washing line up,” she said. “It’s convenient because the motorway covers the back half of the garden so I’ve a dry area and it acts as my sunshade, which has been handy in recent weeks.” Aimee Lipley, 39, who has lived under the M4 for eight years, calls it her “free gazebo”. “I love it under here, when it’s raining you can walk to the shops without getting your hair wet,” she said. Both say the noise becomes a background murmur. “The M4 is like a background murmur, you get used to it,” Narelle added. “I call it ambience.” Still, there are downsides: “We do get a lot of rubbish in our garden from people throwing things out of the vehicles,” Aimee said. “We get to see what people are eating — sometimes you get cigarette ends and it’s interesting to see what crisps people are eating.”
“Heatwave reveals 17th-century Chatsworth garden while M4 residents use motorway as shade and shelter.”
As the heatwave persists, estate gardeners at Chatsworth are increasing organic matter in the soil to retain moisture, a practice that may become more common across England. For those living under the M4, the concrete canopy — a relic of the 1960s freeway boom — offers a reprieve from the scorching sun, even as the country grapples with drought and depleted reservoirs.
