Two Pairs Of Cherubs To North West Of The Grand Basin In Melbourne Hall Gardens

Two pairs of cherubs are located to the north-west of the Grand Basin in Melbourne Hall Gardens. They were created around 1700 by Jan van Nost and are part of a French style garden designed by Royal Gardeners to Queen Anne, London and Wise, for Thomas Coke of Melbourne Hall. Made of stone and lead, each pair of cherubs stands on a panelled stone pedestal with a moulded base and cornice. In the western pair, one cherub is snatching a bunch of lilies from the other, while in the eastern pair, the cherubs are quarrelling. These cherubs form a group with two pairs on the opposite side of the Basin, depicting the story of Castor and his brother Pollux fighting over a bunch of flowers and their eventual reconciliation. They are included in the Derbyshire Historic Gardens Register at Grade I.