 John Lowe purchased the estate in 1747 from the last descendant of the Gilbert family.In 1790 the property was bequeathed to William Drury who changed his name by Royal Sign Manual dated 10 July 1790 to William Drury-Lowe.In 1792, he employed William Emes, who was responsible for the gardens of Calke Abbey and Kedleston Hall, to landscape the park; the actual work, including the creation of the 16 acre lake, was carried out by Emes' partner, John Webb.