Locko Park - Spondon
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Locko estate is located around four miles north-east of the City, and about 1 mile north of Spondon. Locko is a strange and much-corrupted name which has two Saxon elements both referring to an enclosure. A chapel on the site dates back to 1669 and prior to that in medieval times a leper hospital occupied the site. It is rumoured there is an underground tunnel that connects the Locko estate to St Werburgh's church in Spondon, this was possibly built to access the leper hospital.

Locko Hall is the ancestral home of the Drury-Lowe family and has been since 1746. It was built in 1720 by Francis Smith of Warwick.

Factoids

• Capability Brown turned down the commission to landscape the park

• A chapel dates back to 1669 on the estate

• It was a leper hospital in medieval times
  

During the period between 1840 and 1865 William Drury Lowe made many visits to Italy and was inspired with the architecture he found, he bought back many works of art and in the 1850's he commissioned a local architect (Henry Stevens) to decorate Locko Hall in the Italian style.

The main entrance to Locko Park is from Locko Road, there is a convenient lay-by on the right before you reach the lodge entrance, the drive curves down to the lake where you get your first sight of the Hall on your right.

Just pass the lake the road forks, the way to the left is the private drive to the Hall and to the right the road heads in the direction of Lodge Farm, and eventually Dale Abbey.

Locko Hall isn't one of the more well known country houses in the county, do to it never being open to the public, it does however now have open days, and horse trials are held on the estate, anglers frequent the lake and the park is a hive of activity in the summer for strawberry and other fruit, picking.