Chatsworth House

No trip to The Peak District would be considered complete without a trip to Chatsworth House, one of the UK’s best known and splendid country estates.

A Brief History
The history of Chatsworth dates back to 1549 when a famous Derbyshire resident, Bess of Hardwick and her second husband, Sir William Cavendish, bought the Manor of Chatsworth and began to build in 1552. The Hunting Tower, created in the 1580s, still stands on the hill behind Chatsworth House.
Following Sir William’s death in 1557, Bess married Sir William St.Loe and finally her 4th husband George Talbot the 6th Earl of Shrewsbury in 1567. Queen Elizabeth I appointed Shrewsbury custodian of Mary Queen of Scots and she was in fact a prisoner on the Chatsworth Estate several times between 1569 and 1584. She was imprisoned on the east side of the house and indeed these rooms are still called the Queen of Scots Apartments to this day
Sir William’s and Bess second son eventually bought the estate from his elder brother Henry and in 1618 was created Earl of Devonshire.
Various building projects were undertaken in the following centuries with one of the biggest being in 1686 when the 4th Earl of Devonshire took down the South Front and build magnificent State Apartments intended to be used during a Royal visit from William and Mary. Indeed in 1694 William was created 1st Duke of Devonshire for his role in bringing William of Orange to the English throne, a title that exists to this day.
Chatsworth Estate and its owners saw their greatest challenge following the death of the 10th Duke of Devonshire in 1950. Death duties were rated at 80% in 1950 and left his son, Andrew Cavendish with crippling death duties of £7 million pounds (around £180 million today). The 11th Duke had to sell a great deal of the families art collection including several Rembrandts, Van Dycks and Raphaels, as well as thousands of acres of land, including some property such as Hardwick Hall. Along with his immensely strong willed wife Deborah Mitford one of the famous Mitford sisters, the Duke set about restructuring Chatsworth to ensure that it would never have to go through the financial pain endured by the death duties incurred. This restructuring took seventeen years to complete and the final payment was made in 1967. The ownership of all the remaining Derbyshire estates then passed to the Trustees of the Chatsworth Settlement.
The Duke was however insistent that no public money should be used for the upkeep of Chatsworth and on 31st March 1981, after three years of negotiations with the government, the running of Chatsworth was taken over by the Chatsworth House Trust. This is a charitable foundation set up by the 11th Duke to help ensure for the public benefit the preservation of the house, its essential contents, the garden and the park. By November 2000, the 11th Duke had held the title for 50 years. On his death in May 2004, he was succeeded by his son. Peregrine Cavendish, 12th Duke of Devonshire.

Chatsworth Today
Chatsworth today is a wonderful place to spend the day with truly something for everybody. The Estate is such a welcoming place for everyone and on a sunny day you could simply park your car and spend the day down by the river running through the grounds. There are so many attractions at Chatsworth, young or old, you will find a day at Chatsworth well worth the visit.
Here are a few of the attractions to be found on the Chatsworth Estate in the heart of The Peak District:

• A tour of the house will reveal much of the history and collections that reside in Chatsworth. There are guided tours with the guides in period costume, an interactive house detective room and favourite items of the Duke and Duchess including a Hockney painting and many, never before seen, items.

• The Gardens, covering over 100 acres have evolved over 450 years. The renowned gardener Joseph Paxton had a great influence in the Chatsworth gardens. Paxton created the huge gravity fed Emperor Fountain and the Great Conservatory. There are often works of art around the garden areas as well as the maze, rockery, the 300 year old water cascade which you can walk up and down and in fact you won’t find “keep off” signs anywhere in the gardens. You are encouraged go wherever you wish, to explore and discover. Once you have tried yourself out walking the 5 miles of trails there is a great café for a cuppa, a snack and an ice cream.

• The Farmyard and Adventure Playground are a must for anyone with young children. With plenty of farm animals to get up close to and free animal handling sessions throughout the day the farmyard is always a favourite with the kids. The adventure playground has slides, climbing frames, water play, sand pits and importantly seating areas for the parents. There is a café in the farmyard serving drinks and snacks, which can also be rented out for parties.

• The Chatsworth Farm Shop offers a wonderful selection of produce either from the estate or locally sourced. The award winning shop also boasts a restaurant serving much of the produce sold in the shop. The Garden Centre in the grounds of Chatsworth has a wide range of plants and garden ornaments.

Chatsworth House really does count as one of the finest attractions in the Peak District and we thoroughly recommend a visit…..but allow all day !
 

More information can be found at www.chatsworth.org 

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