The Great Parterre: Hidden 17th century garden revealed in UK amid record heatwave

Recent drone footage revealed a hidden 17th century garden in the United Kingdom during a record heatwave, the BBC reported on Sunday.

The European-style formal garden at the Chatsworth Estate in Britain’s Derbyshire was designed for the first Duke of Devonshire, William Cavendish, in 1699.

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It was then covered in grass almost 30 years later but substantial parts of the garden remained under a layer of soil and grass, which has since dried up during the recent hot weather.

Britain last week recorded its first-ever temperature exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, smashing its previous all-time temperature record of 38.7 degrees Celsius.

The garden, known as the Great Parterre, could be recreated with gravel once the grass recovers, head of gardens and landscape at Chatsworth Steve Porter told the BBC.

“Beautifully intricate. Designed to be viewed from the house, you look down across the lawn, as you do at Hampton Court and many other places [like] Versailles and it was the centerpiece. It was what everybody wanted to see and it was pretty amazing,” said Porter.

“This was the first Duke showing his status as a Duke and his wealth by creating something hugely expensive and intricate to build and maintain.”

The footage of lawn circulated on social media, attracting a lot of interest from users online who were hoping it would be restored someday.

“Every time you look you almost see more of the detail, more of the scrolls of the beds and more of the paths and it sort of brings it all back to life and you realize just how intricate and just how amazing it would have been,” he added.

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