Moorish Temple And Attached Terrace In Elvaston Castle Gardens

The Moorish Temple and attached terrace in Elvaston Castle Gardens is a garden pavilion built around 1860 for the Earl of Harrington, designed by William Barron. It features rock-faced stone with concrete and tile dressings, along with a raised stone band between the basement and upper floor. The building has a belled felted roof with wide overhanging eaves and decorative pierced bargeboards on the gables and eaves.

This single-storey structure, which includes a basement, has a unique shape with tapering basement walls and upper side walls that curve inward halfway up before curving outward at the top. The north elevation features an advanced bay at the center, with a trefoil-headed niche in the basement and a large circular window above, adorned with diagonal tracery and a frilly-edged surround made from curved tiles. A delicate iron balcony with shell motifs is positioned at the front and sides.

The west and east sides have oval windows, also with diagonal tracery, set in bracketed moulded concrete surrounds. The east window is located above a blocked four-centred arched basement door, while the west window is above a similar door and an ogee-headed window. The east window retains remnants of heraldic paintings on its inner edge. Originally, all the windows featured diamond-pane metal glazing, most of which is now missing.

On the south side, there is a raised terrace with steps on either side and a diamond-paved top, leading up to a trefoil-headed doorcase. Above this doorcase is a similar-headed niche featuring a large 'H' topped by a coronet. This pavilion is part of a series of similar structures created during the development of lavish gardens designed by William Barron between 1830 and 1860, which are recognized in the Derbyshire Historic Gardens Register at Grade II*.