Peak District

Travelers' Takes

Rates and Deals

Chatsworth House Gardens

More Photos
moatway
moatway
First Reviewer
5 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
3
Reviews
50
Photos
Sort by: Most Recent|Positive|Negative|Most Useful
1-3 of 3
Editor Pick

The Palace of the Peaks

  • October 30, 2009
  • Rated 5 of 5 by garymarsh6 from Gravesend, United Kingdom
The Palace of the Peaks

Chatsworth house is situated in the Peak District in Derbyshire in beautiful countryside. It stands on the bank of the banks of the Derwent river and is surrounded by 11 miles of parkland the gardens alone cover 12 acres. It is the seat of the Duke of Devonshire.


Building of the house began in the 1500’s after the land passed from various owners finally being purchased in 1549 by Sir William Cavendish, treasurer to the King. His wife was Elizabeth Hardwick the second richest woman in England after Queen Elizabeth I. Bess persuaded him to buy the land and she was instrumental in the construction of the house. The house is built in a quadrangle so that there is an inner courtyard which was the in thing of the day.

Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned several times in Chatsworth house on the top floor apartment of the house which are now known as the Queen Mary Rooms over the great Hall. Bess acted as a confident to Mary Queen of Scots and often accompanied her on garden walks in Chatsworth. They spent many hours embroidering tapestries together and some are still preserved at Chatsworth House being over 400 years old. Bess mixed with the highest circles of nobles in the land including Queen Elizabeth the 1st. She was quite renowned for her supervision and overseeing of building massive properties.


Bess died in 1608 leaving her estate to her second son William Cavendish who was created the 1st Earl of Devonshire ten years later. The fourth Earl became the first Duke of Devonshire in 1694 and the Dukedom continues of the Cavendish family right up to the present day

The house has changed little since 1697.


The present day.

The house is still inhabited by the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire and is open to the public throughout the year. At various times of the year certain parts of the house are closed to the public for house cleaning and restoration. There is currently an on going programme of repairs to the outside of the house which is known as the master plan which will make it more accessible for people with disabilities and to update and replace some of the water and electrical supplies to the house. The house is so delicate that the scaffolding on the outside of the house is free standing so that it does not come into contact with the house itself.

A tour to the house will take you through large state rooms starting from the grand staircase after which you ascend to the first floor. There is currently an exhibition of some of the clothes that Georgiana and others wore during the film The Duchess displayed in the house. The rooms are very richly decorated and ornate with priceless works of art, statues, fine porcelains and silverware tapestries some of which were made by Bess Hardwick and Mary Queen of Scots during her imprisonment at Chatsworth before she was beheaded. The house is very much a family home and one can get the feeling that it is very well cared for and loved by the family so that it can be shared with others. The house has been used at various times during the shooting of films.

The inside of the house is very dark because to open the sun blind curtains it would cause irreparable damage to the art work and murals on the ceilings and walls. The rooms are quite colourful, exquisitely laid out and not drab or miserable at all. The standard of furniture and fittings is of the highest quality. Each Duke has left his stamp on the house and it has acquired art from famous artists such as Rembrandt, Vandyke and Gainsborough. It takes approximately 2 hours to walk around the house and the state rooms which after completion of the master plan should be available to all to enjoy.
There are some fantastic views from the house leading down to the Derwent River. There is an ornate bridge crossing the river which is still in use today.

The chapel is absolutely beautiful and the altar is carved out of marble and alabaster. It was built in the 1700’s. It is still in use today the walls are & ceiling are covered in delightful murals.


The music room contains various musical instruments and a grand harpsichord and the thrones of George the 3rd and Queen Charlotte. There is a very large painting of the second duke of Devonshire and murals on the upper wall and ceiling. It is a light and bright room and would be very convivial for those sitting listening to any music being performed.

The landscaped Gardens.


The gardens cover an area of over 105 acres and are beautiful on the eye which has taken shape over the last 400 years. Famous gardeners employed at Chatsworth include Lancelot Capability Brown and Joseph Paxton. Around the house are formal gardens and parterres, waterfalls and a long lake with the very big water fountain known as the Emperor fountain which can be seen from widely around the estate spurting up high into the sky over the trees. There are approximately five miles of pathways through the garden.


At the rear of the house there is a cascade dating from the time of the 1st Duke of Devonshire in the 1800’s. The water features are unique because they are fed by water from a reservoir at the top of the hill and are entirely supplied and displayed by gravity alone. At the top of the cascade there is a small temple and the water in the cascade is circulated twice before entering the Derwent River. The water comes out of two Griffin like animals, and two fountains. There are 24 steps down which the water cascades. Sometimes when the water supply is abundant it also comes out of the mouths of two dolphins in the walls of the temple.

Dotted around the grounds are neo classical statues and also modern pieces of art. It all looks very tasteful. There is a massive rockery area designed by Paxton and it is well developed with mature plants. Just before you reach the rockery there is a weeping willow with water shooting out of the branches. The rockery leads via a pathway to a small pond that is full of fish and decorative silver balls which move around with the wind gently clunking into one another.

To the right of the pond there is the Maze which was planted and surrounded by a rose garden. We did eventually find the heart of the maze.

If you continue walking past the maze and up the hill through woodland you come across another lake and grotto. There are look out areas dotted around the gardens which gives spectacular views over the gardens, house, river and parkland.
There are green houses, herb & vegetable gardens.

There are extensive parklands of approximately 1000 acres with grazing sheep and deer offering wonderful vistas over the undulating and rolling hills of Derbyshire.


Practical information.

By road.

Chatsworth house is very well signposted around the Chesterfield and Matlock. If you are using GPS then the Post code is DE45 1PP.


Price of admission:

TO see everything Chatsworth has to offer the price is :

Adult: £16
Children £10
Concessions for Senior Citizens
/Students £12.50

The winter season for this year add £1.50 per ticket.


The house and gardens only:

Adults £11.50 or £10.35 if booked on line.
Concessions : £9.50 or
Children £6.25 or £5.64 on line.

The gardens only

Adults £7.50 or £6.75
Concessions £6 or £5.40
Children £4.50 or £4.05

Other facilities at Chatsworth.
Children’s play area.
Cafeteria
Restaurants.
Farm Shop.
Souvenir shop.

Parking is £2 for the day.


Hours of opening.

Gardens 10:30 – 6PM
House 11:00 to 5:30PM
Farmyard 10:30 – 5:30PM
Shops 10:30 -5:30PM


Events.

There are various events held throughout the year at Chatsworth including flower festivals, music festivals, fine dining events, behind the scene tours, The Chatsworth Country fair.
Bonfire and firework display. Horse trails.


You can check out what is happening at the Chatsworth own web site at:-

http://www.chatsworth.org/

It is one of England’s most beautiful and historical houses well worth a visit for both young and old. I think that small children would find the house a little boring but the gardens are all open and they would enjoy that. I would thoroughly recommend a visit to Chatsworth house for both young and old

From journal Some Historical Jewels in Englands Crown

Editor Pick

Chatsworth House Impresses

  • February 6, 2009
  • Rated 4 of 5 by tvordj from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Chatsworth House Impresses

The Chatsworth estate is an easy day trip if you're based in Manchester or Liverpool. It's based in the Peak District National Park amid rolling hills dotted with sheep. Chatsworth is the home of the Dukes of Devonshire, the Cavendish family. The first house was started in the mid 16th century and has grown and altered through the years, the present house having it's beginnings at the end of the 17th century. The house has been open to visitors from early 18th century. The present Duke is the 11th. The gardens are very lovely and have been cultured and redeveloped for centuries with the hand of Capability Brown in there along with others. The current Duchess has even written a book on the evolution of the garden as well as other books about aspects of the house and estates. Cost is about 12 pounds to see the house and gardens. Not cheap but average for similar manors and attractions.

The day we went was misty and a bit rainy. The first view of the grand house through the fog across the grounds from the top of the drive was spectacular! There's a car park available and when you finally enter the house, you are in a grand entryway with soaring painted ceilings. You go up one magnificent staircase to the right and at the end of the tour, you come down the one on the opposite side of the entry. We went through all the rooms that were open to the public. Absolutely amazing, the opulence! Walls and ceilings painted elaborately, woodwork intricately carved and molded. There were displays of silver, gold, china, old books, lots of paintings and portraits. There was a spiral of keys from large to tiny set in a picture frame, there was a delicate wood carving and a room/gallery of sculpture. One of the better known things is a door at the back of the music room that looks like there is a violin hanging on it. The whole door and violin are a painting, a "trompe D'oeil". The sculpture gallery and orangerie is the last room before a gift shop. Also in the stable/carriage block are a café, restaurant, a seed shop and another gift shop.

The gardens have miles of paths, fountains, a yew maze, a farm area with animals for the kids. There are lots of sculptures scattered about the gardens, both classic and modern. The Cascade fountain is one of the more famous ones, not far from the house. We didn't tramp around outside in the park too much because of the weather but did have a look at the Cascade Fountain and the rose gardens, warming up after with a hot cup of tea in the restaurant which is situated in the old Stable block along with a shop and cafe.

The house has quite a few steps in all, but is wheelchair accessible if you make prior arrangements. The ground floor is accessible through the gift shop in the back. There is an audio guide available.

A little more about the house, there is a village nearby, Edensor, that was built to house the servants of the house. The house itself was so expensive to keep that the National Trust now owns it and the Duke is now in effect a tenant himself.

From journal Day Trips from Manchester

Editor Pick

Chatsworth Gardens

  • October 4, 2005
  • Rated 5 of 5 by moatway from Riverview, New Brunswick
Chatsworth Gardens

The garden is available on its own ticket at 5.75. One of the reasons that you may need at least 5 hours to see Chatsworth is the gardens. They are truly wonderful and cover 105 acres… I would think that a map is a good idea, as the gardens are a maze of things. How many other gardens warrant a 64-page guidebook?

The centrepiece of the gardens is the 300-year-old cascade, which is surmounted by what appears to be a small, classical temple. Much of the water for the effects on the estate comes from lakes 400 feet above the house. The Emperor Fountain is gravity-fed and can reach the height of 300 feet, but normally, to protect the equipment, the height is set at 90 feet… still impressive.

There is Joseph Paxton’s Rock Garden. One can’t imagine the effort it must have taken to create a small mountain of boulders in order to create it. While some of the plants in the garden may be small, many of them are full-grown evergreens.

Are your children bored? Take them down the coal hole and through the tunnel. It is extremely dark, dank, and for little ones, either terrifying or fun (or both). Amuse yourself in the meandering Serpentine hedges.

While the Duke and Duchess have added a number of sculptures to the park, the most interesting sculpture may be Angela Connor’s Revelation, which sits in its own little pond surrounded by hedges. Water-driven, burnished leaves open to reveal a large, gold ball, and within minutes, hide it again.

While there are a number of greenhouses on the grounds, they don’t tend to be open. There are, however, a number of smaller gardens: a cottage garden and its neighbouring classical garden, and the sensory garden. Then there are the little things: the sculptures or the willow-tree fountain which once delighted a young Queen Victoria.

We didn’t see it all, but we found it very hard to leave. Every pathway seemed to promise something to see. Plan to spend at least two hours in this wonderful garden.

From journal Great Houses of the Peak District

Sort by: Most Recent|Positive|Negative|Most Useful
1-3 of 3

Compare Peak District Rates

1. Enter travel information

City

2. Select websites to compare rates

Each selected website will open a new window.

Peak District Travel Deals