The statue of Sabrina, goddess of the River Severn, was returned after restoration and once again sits in the grotto overlooking the lake. She suffered much damage and has been sensitively restored with newly carved arms and legs. Sabrina is made from the unusual Coade ‘stone’ – a manufactured ceramic material.
The grotto, located by the lakeside, was once encrusted with semi-precious gems that sparkled and shimmered. By the time the National Trust acquired the site in 1996, most had disappeared and scrub and weeds had taken over. Now the vegetation has been cleared and Sabrina has been returned to her rightful place, visitors can enjoy exploring the grotto once more.
The grotto recreates a scene from Virgil’s 'Aeneid' depicting a haven for ship-wrecked mariners off the coast of Africa. The passage describing the scene can be found in the Coade plaque on the grotto. After the lake was dredged in 2003, Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown’s original vision of clear crystal water was restored, reflecting this mythical scene.
The Island Pavilion, on the island in the lake, was once severely vandalised and damaged. It contains several restored Coade plaques; the central one depicts a wedding scene from a painting in the Vatican.
As part of the restoration the lake and river were dredged. This included removing over 50,000 cubic metres of silt and vegetation, which was spread over the adjacent field to improve the condition of the soil. The field was then seeded with a mix of native English wildflowers and grasses.
The two year hydrology project included the creation of three new wetlands to filter the water before it reaches Brown’s vision of a mirrored lake. As well as helping to restore the splendour of the 18th-century landscape, the restoration of meadows, pastures and creation of wetlands has provided a habitat for plants and animals.
The original entrance to Croome from Worcester, by 1996 the drive was completely overgrown. Hard work by volunteers has resulted in the clearance of scrub from this and many other parts of the park.
Taken from the top of the Dry Arch Bridge, these images look back towards the statue of the Druid and the Temple Greenhouse. Throughout the restoration, scrub has been cleared and the statue of the Druid has been restored and returned.
