From the point of view of recreational open space,
Derbyshire is able to claim three important firsts. The Derby Arboretum opened
in 1840 as the first publicly owned,
landscaped and urban recreational park in England, the first National
Park, the Peak District National Park was created in 1951 and in 1970 Elvaston
Castle became the first ever Country Park.
Elvaston Castle Country Park itself is a recreational park
situated to the west of the city of Derby and was originally the country seat
of the Earls of Harrington. It is not and never has been a castle. It is
unlikely it was ever a fortified manor comparable to other stately homes
further north in Derbyshire. Elvaston Castle is called a castle but no one
really knows why. Today the manor consists of a late Tudor and early Stuart
wing with a substantial Victorian extension grafted on.
The origins of the estate as the ending ton would suggest,
are Saxon and pre-Domesday Book. As with the majority of Saxon estates it was
eventually seized and presented to an assortment of Norman nobility. By the sixteenth
century the estates had passed to the Stanhope family. Something of a
remarkable family, who’s many branches at one point held three Earldoms, those
of Stanhope, Chesterfield and obviously Harrington. The first two titles are
now extinct and the current Earl of Harrington, the former owner of the estate,
now lives in Ireland. His granddaughter is married to Viscount Linley.
The estate is notable for many things, not least the design
of the Victorian gardener and genius, William Barron. Who after serving his
time on the Blackadder estates in Scotland (this is not a joke), came south to
take on the project of redesigning Elvaston Park. He outdid Capability Brown in
the planting of mature trees as his losses where much lower. He even supervised
the planting of North American Redwoods once shipped by steamer across the
Atlantic.
The hall like the park was a redesign to accommodate the
romantic tastes of the fourth Earl (formally the Beau Petersham) and his new Countess
Maria Foote. Maria was a London actress and society mistress with children from
previous relationships, the marriage in 1831 resulted in the couple being
ostracised from polite society. So it was that Elvaston was turned into their
private Xanadu. Complete with gilt mottos across the walls of the newly created
Gothic Hall, such as ‘Be silent and alone’ and ‘Beauty is a Witch.’
Today Elvaston is noted for its bats and is the site of two
Special Sites of Scientific Interest, the Church and the Old Boat House. The
latter like other parts of the Park, including the folly known as the Moorish
Temple, was used as a backdrop in the 1969 Ken Russell film, Women in Love.
That however, is not the only D. H. Lawrence connection as
Lawrence being a Nottinghamshire man knew this part of Derbyshire well. He also
knew of the family scandal, in which the wife of the ninth Earl ran off with an
estate employee. Her grave, without the title of countess is in the graveyard
close to the family mausoleum but significantly, she does not lie within the
vaults.
There is no conclusive evidence that Kathleen Emily Stanhope
was the inspiration for Lady Chatterley. Yet the coincidence is interesting and
it certainly makes a good local legend and a legend that Ken Russell is likely
to have known, when he chose Elvaston Park as a location for his film.
The Summer of 2012 saw the tenth and last year of the
Elvaston Castle Pagan Picnic in the Park. In that ten years we saw thirty
picnics, 27 of which I had the pleasure to organise and attendance grow from
just over a dozen to on one memorable occasion, a hundred people.
The picnics started in 2002 almost by accident, a happy
chance event that, rather like the proverbial acorn just grew and grew. The
first picnic grew from two seeds, the first being the independent Pagan Moot at
Ye Old Dolphin Inne, the oldest public house in Derby and claimed to be one of
the city’s most haunted venues.
The second seed was the organisation of an ‘International
Meet’ formed about several persons from a Pagan Internet Forum known as ‘The Witches’ Hut.’ The Dolphin Moot, a showing of the 1973 original
‘The Wicker Man,’ trips to the local museum and other local sites of interest
were already on the agenda. The first Elvaston Castle Pagan Picnic in the Park
was just one of these weekend events.
The link between the Dolphin Moot, the International Meet
and the organisation of that first Elvaston Castle Pagan Picnic in the Park was
a young lady called Marie. Well known in folk music and dance circles, whilst active
amongst the web based Pagan Community. Marie was able to draw upon the interest
in a gathering tentatively expressed on forums and at her own moot, to
eventually push ahead with the idea.
Unfortunately the ‘International’ element for a combination
of reasons did not manifest, as recent terrorist scares prevented many from
flying. The first Elvaston Castle Pagan Picnic in the Park was primarily a
British affair, with attendees from Derby, Doncaster, Northampton and other
regions, a total of a dozen or so persons. A later event organised by members
of ‘The Witches’ Hut’ took place in Cardiff. By this
time the world had settled down somewhat after the ‘Twin Towers’ attack and
therefore, it genuinely had a more ‘international’ feel.
The potential of the picnics and the concept that they could
become something more than a one off event, became apparent to me at that first
picnic. The obvious enjoyment of all in something as simple as a picnic; the
attractive surroundings, the historical ambiance lent by the close proximity of
the manor house, the beautiful weather, all combined to make a very pleasant
afternoon enjoyed in the company of new friends.
The afternoon was interspaced with some informal chanting
and an exploration of the park and here, I was able to show my local knowledge
regarding the history of the area. Both chanting and ‘Magpie’s Woodland Walk’
would later become staples of the later picnics. By the end of the afternoon it
was obvious to many that the picnic could appeal to a wider section of the
Pagan Community. However, Marie being a shy retiring English rose, disliked the
idea of being associated with a public event and therefore, I stepped forward
to take on the project.
I began the hosting of the Elvaston Castle Pagan Picnic in
the Park before I became Pagan Federation Regional Coordinator for the County
of Derbyshire or later the East Midlands Pagan Federation Deputy District
Manager. Therefore the picnics did not begin as an official Pagan Federation
event and although later they were to become associated with the Pagan
Federation, due to the position and membership of those assisting in their
organisation; they maintained a fully independent if somewhat affiliated
status.
This produced a most unusual and peculiar situation whereby
some within the local Pagan Community criticised the existence of the event,
based on the belief that it was either a Pagan Federation one or a Wiccan only
gathering. These misconceptions have never been fully explained but it was
certainly and unfortunately true, that in the early years too close a public
association with the Pagan Federation would have been unwise and may have
alienated some within the local Pagan Community.
The unsympathetic attitude of the Pagan Community at large
towards the Pagan Federation and our work is a factor I have never been able to
fully comprehend. Nor is it an issue that in my time as a Pagan Federation
Officer, have I been able to successfully overcome. Indeed the antipathy
towards the Pagan Federation and my lack of success in dealing with it; remains
an unfortunate failure of my ten year tenure as a Pagan Federation Officer.
Accusations that the picnics were either wiccanesque in
character or primarily a Wiccan event are easier to deal with. The Elvaston
Castle Pagan Picnic in the Park was from the onset an open event, welcoming those
of any Pagan Path together with non Pagan family and friends. However, since
the majority of the Pagan Community, if not actual initiated Wiccans with a
capital ‘W’ are wiccan with a lowercase ‘w’ and therefore wiccanesque in
influence. It is natural that public events such as the Elvaston Castle Pagan
Picnic in the Park, Pagan Pride and numerous other festivals reflect this apparent
predisposition of the Community.
Of all the many Pagan Paths, Wicca is the one with the
highest or most openly accessible ‘profile’ within the Community. Although
outside of the Pagan Community in our mainstream society, Druidry is usually
the most obvious and the first to spring to mind. Other paths such as Heathenry
and the various streams of the Traditional Craft; which are not all necessarily
Pagan, are fewer in number and in the example of the latter, rather more
secretive.
The higher profile of Wicca or wicca manifests through
literature both specialist and popularist, the ubiquitous influence of the path
upon the generic Pagan being all the more obvious because of this. Therefore,
although the Elvaston Castle Pagan Picnic in the Park was never a wiccan event,
since the majority that have attended exhibited openly wiccanesque tendencies,
it was unavoidable that some wiccan influence would come to display itself.
The basic philosophy behind the Elvaston Castle Pagan Picnic
in the Park was that of a festival, welcoming to all, family and pet friendly.
Therefore people were from the onset encouraged to share, mingle and one would
hope, make new friendships. We actively encouraged the sharing of food and the
presence of acoustic instruments. The dressing up of attendees, like any
festival, was never discouraged. Although we insisted that clothing must be
worn at all times, Elvaston Castle Country Park is a public recreational open
space and not suitable for persons wishing to go ‘skyclad’ or skinny dip in the
lake.
For ten years I was able, with the support and cooperation
of friends, Pagan Federation members and the Park Rangers of Elvaston Castle
Country Park, to arrange, publicise and host three or four picnics a year. It
can be said without fear of contradiction; that they were from the beginning, a
major success and that they became increasingly popular amongst the local Pagan
Community.
Numbers increased quickly over the first two years, with an
average attendance of well over forty persons, not including pets. We were
lucky in those first few years in that we near always avoided the poor weather
and often enjoyed bright, hot and sunny days. Numbers increased with the
weather, eventually surpassing the sixty and even the seventy head count. Later
and as stated above, we would on one memorable occasion peaked at the 99/100
headcount.
This success even before we peaked at the 100 attendees
brought with it some problems, based primarily upon crowd control and safety
issues. The gathering being now over large would divide into smaller
sub-picnics and the Park Rangers were becoming concerned, that to the detriment
of other family groups, we were beginning to take over the park. With the mutual
agreement of all concerned, it was decided that in future we would have a
designated picnic spot nearer the castle, put aside for our sole use on picnic
days and this action rectified the issue to the satisfaction of all concerned.
The Security Team of the Park kept an eye on us, making sure
we did not disturb other users of the park too much. However and perhaps far
more importantly from our perspective, they maintained a close watch and kept
potential troublemakers well away from us.
Semi-impromptu activities were organised from time to time,
supplementing my own historical nature walk through the gardens. These
activities included over the years; chanting and drumming, belly dance classes
provided by Pandora a local dance teacher, bowls, badminton and supervised
medieval martial arts such as sword fighting (with wooden swords or staves) and
the use of the English quarterstaff. Many of these activities proved so
immensely popular, that they would be repeated many times over the years.
As we approached our tenth year however, it became clear
that partly due to a slight drop in attendance and simply due to the length of
time the picnics had run; that it was time to put the picnics to bed. The tenth
year seemed appropriate for this and was deliberately publicised as the final
year.
At that final picnic in September 2012, to mark my
achievement in organising the majority of the picnics and as a gesture of
thanks, I was presented by friends with a card and two bottles of Welsh mead in
a presentation box. A gesture I very much appreciated.
Looking back over those remarkable ten years, it is clear
that the picnics have been immensely successful; enjoyable for all and that they
served as an inspiration for several other groups to set up their own picnics.
It is likely that my own name will long be associated with the picnics and that
I will be known as ‘the picnic guy’ for many years to come.
Useful links
http://www.paganfed.org/
