Harewood and the hunt for the half million pound stick in Capability Brown’s Serpentine Lake

September 2025 – February 2026

Crafted by Lancelot Capability Brown in the 18th Century, Harewood’s landscape encompasses 4000 acres and represents one of Brown’s most famous vistas. Upon first glance, it’s the perfect example of Brown’s work, but there are issues that lie deep beneath the surface.

Harewood has had a turbulent relationship with Capability Brown’s Serpentine Lake since work began back in 1775. Following construction, the dam leaked under Brown’s watch and had to be reconstructed. Even after repairs were completed in spring 1778, it leaked again. In a letter to Edwin Lascelles from Steward Samuel Popplewell, who oversaw the work, it’s noted that there was a hole next to the plug “large enough to bury a horse.”

Tensions between Lascelles and Brown escalated. In correspondence dated 29 February 1778, Lascelles expressed his dissatisfaction: “I have always said and did insist upon it the ground was scandalously lay’d and beggarly sown…several parts slovenly run over and badly finish’d particularly the island.”

With Brown unable to meet expectations, he was replaced by surveyor John Hudson in 1780. Yet even Hudson couldn’t solve the problem. The dam leaked again that same year.

Fast forward 245 years, and Harewood is still grappling with the lake’s legacy.

Today, the issue lies with the Victorian outlet sluice, built in 1898, which has been leaking for several years. The flow has increased significantly over the past five years, making it difficult to inspect the culvert that runs from the outlet sluice to the Himalayan Garden. If left unchecked, the leak could compromise the integrity of both the culvert and the dam wall. The Trust also faces challenges in managing water levels during extreme weather events, such as the drought currently affecting Yorkshire.

In late September, Harewood House Trust will partner with EDS Marine and Civil Engineering Contractors to drain the lake and install a temporary dam. This will allow engineers to investigate the source of the leak and determine whether the sluice needs repair or full replacement.

To protect the fish population, the fish will be removed and relocated to ponds on Harewood Estate from October, for the duration of the works.

“Harewood and the hunt for the half a million pound stick” may sound like a playful mystery, but the project is a serious investment in protecting one of Harewood’s most important landscapes. As an independent charity, Harewood House Trust does not have the resources to fund this project itself, so is grateful to the Lascelles Family Will Trust for making this vital work possible.

Whether it turns out to be a simple blockage, perhaps even a rogue stick, or a much larger repair, the Trust is committed to safeguarding the lake, the dam and the Himalayan Garden for generations to come. And if it does turn out to be a stick, it will be the most expensive one Harewood has ever found.