Designed by ‘Capability’ Brown in the 1760s, the Grand Cascade at the western end of the lake is one of England’s most picturesque waterfalls. Here the Glyme plunges dramatically from the lake and the slowly winds south-westwards under the ‘New’ Bridge designed by Sir William Chambers, eventually joining the River Evenlode, a tributary of the Thames.*

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to appreciate the cascade and bridge from all angles due to extended ‘Selfie taking’ on the bridge…

*From the Blenheim Palace guidebook printed 2014

When passing through the archway into The Alnwick Garden, the view leads immediately to The Garden’s centrepiece; the Grand Cascade. A magnificent tumbling mass of water with spellbinding displays, the Grand Cascade is the largest water feature of its kind in the country. It is built into two listed earth banks from the 1850s, which create The Garden’s slope.

Every minute, 7260 gallons of water tumble down a series of 21 weirs, with riotous water displays on the hour and the half hour. Jets of water shoot high in the air and splash on the terrace as children run underneath them. Children also collect water from the water walls at the foot of the Grand Cascade, in John Deere’s mini tractors.

The Grand Cascade is surrounded by hornbeam pergolas which echo the stone curves, with windows looking onto the water. Beyond the pergolas, lie rills and shallow pools. The Grand Cascade is built from local Darney stone, and computer-controlled by state-of-the-art equipment in the pump rooms below. The water is filtered and recycled.*

*From the Alnwick Garden website.