Heatwave drought reveals secret garden that has remained hidden for 300 years

 Heatwave drought reveals secret garden that has remained hidden for 300 years A garden that has been hidden for almost three hundred years has been uncovered as a result of the recent heatwave. Incredible new drone footage and photos show the remains of the 17th Century garden, known as the Great Parterre, at the Chatsworth Estate in Derbyshire. Head of gardens and landscape at Chatsworth Steve Porter described the garden as a 'hidden gem', offering 'a glimpse back into the past'. The European-style formal garden, measuring 473 to 227 feet, was designed in 1699 for the 1st Duke of Devonshire and is part of a 105-acre garden. The intricate arrangement of flowerbeds and pathways was created to provide a setting for the Duke's newly finished South Front of the house. Just 30 years later the historic garden was grassed over and replaced with the South Lawn. Since then, it lay hidden under a thin layer of soil and grass, until the remnants emerged earlier this week. As temperatures across the UK rocketed, peaking as high as 40C in some areas, the grass in the new lawn became parched quicker due to its shorter roots, revealing the elaborate design of the old garden beneath. Mr Porter told ITV: 'We can clearly see the intricate patterns of the historic gardens at the moment. 'The current heatwave is causing us issues elsewhere in the garden but here it has revealed a hidden gem not enjoyed properly for nearly 300 years! 'We knew it was there but of course it's normally a green lawn so everything is hidden. 'It is only revealed during periods of extreme heat, so climate change may make that more frequent in the years ahead. 'It will disappear again when temperatures drop and we get some rain but in the meantime it's wonderful to get a glimpse back into the past.' Chatsworth Estate, located in the Peak District National Park, has been in the Devonshire family for 16 generations and is currently being leased to the Chatsworth House Trust charity. The wider garden is currently undergoing its biggest transformation for almost 200 years. And while Mr Porter told the News that a full restoration of the old garden is not expected to be happening soon, he hoped it could be recreated with gravel after the grass had made a recovery.  He added: '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 realise just how intricate and just how amazing it would have been.'