From medieval deer park, to RAF base, there have been many changes over the last 600 years. Lyme has submitted a planning application for investment to adapt for the future by improving resilience to climate change, restoring the historic setting of the house, and upgrading our facilities. Find out more about future plans and how you can get involved.
After the Second World War, the Legh family entrusted Lyme to the National Trust for the ‘health, education, and delight of local people’. Today, this special place welcomes over 300,000 visitors every year, and we work every day to live up to these principles. There are three primary aims to our work:
In 2019 torrents of water caused £250,000 worth of damage at Lyme, and swept away much of the formal gardens, before flooding the Swine Ground and Timber Yard areas. With the climate changing, leading to ever more frequent extreme weather events, places like Lyme are at risk and we need to act now for Lyme and nearby places.
This sits at the heart of everything we do. Four hundred years ago the main entrance to Lyme came from Macclesfield and Poynton, through the current car park. By the 19th century, this space was an open piece of land known as the ‘Swine Ground’, with a stream running through from Reflection Lake to the millpond. We aim to improve our resilience to flooding and in doing so reinstate the historic approach to the House.
When opening to visitors in 1947, it could never have been anticipated that Lyme would welcome over 300,000 people each year. As part of the project, we plan to upgrade our facilities, from car parks to cafés, to ensure that you have a great experience when you are with us.
We're embarking on a series of works over the coming years. Here's an overview of what we're planning and where. Whilst necessary works are taking place it may cause some disruption to your visits. We'll be sharing updates on when this will be and what to expect nearer the time. For now, below are the key aims for the first piece of work below and a map of what we're planning.
Our current car park is highly at risk of flooding due to climate change. We’re proposing to move the car park to a different location in the park. While we won’t be increasing the 1000 space capacity that we currently have, the new location will ensure that all the spaces can be used all year round, helping alleviate the pressure on local roads at peak times.
We know that the volume of traffic the A6 is high. To help minimise issues caused by traffic coming in and out of Lyme, we are looking to make access into Lyme more efficient at places like the admissions hut. Ensuring that the 1000 car park spaces are available all year round will also help to lessen the impact on the road and local neighbours on peak days.
We are fully committed to encouraging people to arrive at Lyme on foot, on bike, and by public transport. We’re currently working with partners to investigate opportunities to incentivise people to visit without a car. Our long-term sustainable travel strategy has been submitted as part of the planning application, and are keen to hear from you on how we could be even better!
As a conservation charity, we’re committed to looking after nature and protecting places for everyone to enjoy. Our plans involve restoring the current car park back to a natural grassland area, which will improve the ecology here. We’ll continue to ensure that the wildlife and livestock that we care for is protected during construction by working with ecologists. We will continue to put ecology at the heart of what we do, whether improving habitats for great crested newts, protecting ground nesting birds or planting trees. You can read more about how we’re caring for the landscape at Lyme here.
We are committed to making everyone welcome and access is critically important to us. We aim to connect the car park, house, gardens and Timber Yard with a new path network and will operate a minibus service from the new car park. We will retain the accessible parking spaces at the orangery and Timber Yard, as well as having accessible spaces in the new car park.
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When Lyme opened to visitors in 1947, it could not have been anticipated we would welcome around over a quarter of a million visitors a year. At the time, a car park was built to welcome visitors which is still in use today.
Get in touch to share your views, or ask us anything about the work we do:
Together we can shape future plans to protect this historic place and the animals that call it home, while ensuring this special place can be enjoyed by everyone who loves to visit, for ever.
Everyone needs nature, now more than ever. Donate today and you could help people and nature to thrive at the places we care for.
From ongoing conservation work to restoration work brought about by flooding and fires, the work of rangers and volunteers is a round-the-clock job.
Many hands make Lyme work – find out about the volunteer and work experience opportunities at Lyme, from rangers to conservationists, retail to building maintenance.
There's over 1,400 acres of historic parkland to explore at Lyme in autumn. Discover thriving wildlife during your walk into nature, and seek out the follies for some of the best views over Cheshire.
