Description:As a result of sewage contamination in the River Trent, Trentham Hall had become uninhabitable by the early twentieth century. After the fourth Duke of Sutherland, Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower (1851–1913), failed to find a buyer for the property, the Hall was demolished. However, the gardens at Trentham were given a new lease of life as a public attraction overseen by Trentham Gardens Limited.
The large colourful poster featured above is an advertisement for Trentham Gardens ‘The Beauty Spot of the Midlands’ from the early twentieth century. The poster advertises the gardens and ‘mile long lake’ at Trentham, as well as new facilities which had been added including rowing boats, a miniature railway, an open air swimming pool and a playground.
Sue Gregory suggests that by this time a ballroom, which the poster boasts was the ‘largest’ in the Midlands, had also been built on the site of the old Kitchen Garden.
Contextual Information featured on pages relating to Trentham Gardens has been provided by Sue Gregory who has been instrumental in the research and selection of documents for this section. Sue has been part of the management team of Staffordshire Gardens & Parks Trust since its creation in 1992 and has over fourteen years of experience researching Trentham Gardens in the Sutherland Papers.