Some Historical Jewels in Englands Crown

Wadddesdon Manor.

Waddesdon Manor is a national trust property set in the beautiful Berkshire countryside. The land was owned by the Duke of Marlboro and was sold to the famous banking dynasty the Rothschild family. It was built by the famous banking family Rothschild’s in the latter part of the 1800s and has been lived in ever since by the Rothschild family. The vast estate has a lot of things to see and do while visiting Waddesdon Manor. It was left to the National trust in 1958 on the death of James Rothschild and opened to the public in 1959.
The currant Lord, Jacob Rothschild inherited the collection in 1988 from Dorothy Rothschild and he is heavily involved in its preservation.


The vast estate has a lot of things to see and do while visiting Waddesdon Manor and I will highlight the best features of the Estate.

The house.

Waddesdon house is built in the style of a 16th century French Chateau with large patio windows on the ground floor and towers with typical slated roof. There is a grand drive up to the house and it appears to be a magnificent way of entering the house. You can imagine arriving there as a guest and being chauffer driven past the grand wrought iron gates driving around the massive water feature at the end of the north drive and driving up the tree lined drive towards the house.

The house is full of rare and valuable art collections and antiques collected over the years by Baron Ferdinand De Rothschild and most of which is on show today. There are paintings by Gainsborough and Reynolds and works of arts by Dutch and Flemish master painters from the 17th Century. There are collections of fine porcelain and richly decorated carpets and furniture. There is even a writing desk that belonged to Marie Antoinette from the palace of Versailles. All the items were looked after meticulously and the collection has been described as a bizarre collection of rare and unusual pieces. There was a collection of rare boxes which according to Waddesdons own web site have been stolen. It is unbelievable that someone could break in to such a magnificent house containing such wealthy and priceless treasures.

You can tour part of the house but not all the rooms are open to the public but what rooms are open there is an immense collection of personal items and looks like a well lived in and loved home albeit a lonely house for Baron as his wife had died in childbirth. He lived there alone with his sister Alice and devoted his time to collecting fine art and entertaining his friends at the famous parties he held there every weekend.
There are two spiral stair cases leading up to the other floors and it can be seen from the outside of the house. It is in keeping with the rest of the building. You go up one staircase and down the other. He was not a happy man and was said to eat just bread and water in a side room whilst his guests dined on magnificent feasts. He claimed just prior to his death that although he lived in a beautiful house he was a very lonely man. The tour of the house covers the ground floor and the first floor. You can accompany your tour with a hand held audio tour which is quite useful as you are able to get a full explanation of various art works and important pieces of furniture.

The house is quite dark inside as a means of protecting the rare pieces of art. I think that it has always been a dark house but there are also special blinds at the windows to stop the harmful sun rays causing irreversible damage to the contents.

It was said that Queen Victoria invited herself to Waddesdon manor so she could see for herself electricity which Buckingham Palace did not have at that time. I believe she found it most intriguing to see electricity at work for the first time and she is reported to have kept turning the lights on and off as she found it such a novelty. She had heard about Waddesdons electricity from the Prince of Wales who often frequented the weekend party’s with one of his mistresses.

Guided tours are available or self tours with the aid of an audio tour.


The gardens.

On the south side of the house there is a beautifully laid out parterre which looks beautiful very clean and well cared for. Small privet hedges help maintain the order around the parterre with various plants growing inside the growing area. There are a couple of ornamental fountains on the parterre as well. The grounds have been landscaped and there are some beautiful shaded walks with various trees shrubs and other lovely plants and flowers.

There is a beautiful cast iron aviary which is fashioned on those at Versailles and there are a variety of endangered birds which are bred in captivity and then released into the wilds. It is very picturesque in the gardens and in front of the aviary. There are fountains and various statues dotted around the gardens which are very nice. There are some beautiful topiary around the grounds, privet hedges cut into shapes of birds and bears. There is a rose garden, daffodil, tulip and water garden and a small lake within the grounds.

There are seven miles of roads throughout the estate which will give you some indication of how large the estate is.


The stables.

There are stables down below the mansion house reached by either driving down there or walking through a wooded garden pathway. The stables have been converted into a small restaurant and tea room and a shop. There are two beautiful bronze cast horses in the courtyard of the stables. As would be expected the prices of things to buy in the restaurant and the shop are quite expensive.

Sandwiches between £4-5
Jacket potatoes £5.50 – 6.
Starters £4.50 – 6.
Mains £6-9
Desserts £4.75
Cream tea £5.50
All prices include VAT plus 10% service charge.

There is a summer house selling light refreshments sandwiches coffee tea and soft drinks.

The wine cellar.

The wine cellar contains a magnificent collection of fine wines some dating back to the 1886 and you can tour the wine cellars every Wednesday at 3pm.

The power house.

There is a power house towards the back of the house which supplies the power needs to the house and grounds.

Special events.

There are special events throughout the year and towards Christmas the house is decorated with a tree and various Christmas decorations. It looks very pretty when decorated. There is wine tasting and various talks on certain dates for example about art or furniture or how the servants lived at the manor and what it was like to be one. There are Christmas sales autumn sales and free days for the emergency service personel. You can get the full dates from their own web site.

Where is it.

Waddesdon manor is about 6 miles from Aylesbury and about an hour from London and Oxford. It is just off the A41.

WADDESDON MANOR
Waddesdon
Nr Aylesbury
Buckinghamshire
HP18 0JH
Telephone:-01296 653226

Admission prices vary throughout the year and are available for the gardens only or for the house as well.

£5 for the garden and £7 at the weekends.
£10 -£12 winter combined house and garden ticket
£13.20 -£15 Summer combined house and garden ticket

National trust members are admitted free and all admissions are given a timed ticket to ensure that there are not too many people in the house at the same time giving you the opportunity to enjoy your visit.


It really is a beautiful property and well worth a visit a wonderful collection of fine art in stunning surroundings. I would highly recommend a visit here if you get the opportunity.

You can find out more from the two following web sites one is Waddesdons own web site and the other is from the National trust.


http://www.waddesdon.org.uk/


http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-waddesdonmanor

Stowe is part of a massive estate deep in the Buckinghamshire countryside. It is has a beautiful house which is now used as a private boarding school. Visitors are not admitted to the school except on certain days.

A little history of Stowe.

The area around Stowe consisted of mainly farm land for grazing sheep and was bought by a Sir Thomas Temple who was a social climber by marrying into wealthy families. He bought a Baronetcy from King James the 1st thereby creating a hereditary title ship for his offspring. The building of the house started in 1680 and has been added to at various times throughout the years.

The family were fairly ostentatious and very extravagant in the building of Stowe and often did not have the funds to complete the works resulting in Stop and start building. By marrying into wealthy families over the centuries more money was ploughed into Stowe at various times. Some of the family heirlooms and works of art were sold off to pay for maintenance and rebuilding or refurbishing the house. Death duties also crippled the family from time to time. So although the house is a beautiful creation it has had a very tragic history.

Grand receptions and parties were held at Stowe and extravagant living mostly beyond their means resulted in it changing hands. Very important people were invited to Stowe including Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. A massive archway was built right in front house a couple of miles in the distance which looks a little like the arc de Triumph in Paris. This can be viewed from the house and seen in the distance with beautiful landscaped grounds and the lake in the foreground. Queen Victoria was the only person ever to have arrived through this gateway. The 2nd Duke of Buckingham lived far beyond his means and restructured the interior to accommodate Queen Victoria for her visit which lasted for only three days. The Queen was not impressed by this extravagance apparently. This resulted in spiralling debts and the only way out was to sell many of the moveable furniture and pieces of art. This was known as the first great sale. Only £75,000 was raised against the £1.5 million pound debt. The house was then closed.

On the Death of the Duke in 1861 his son returned to Stowe and consolidated all the building work and landscaping however his early death in 1889 meant that his daughter was unable to support Stowe due to the death duties and the pension being paid to the Dowager Duchess and tried to sell it off to no avail. The house was closed again. Eventually in 1922 the 2nd great sale took place of all the moveable fixtures both in and outside the house. The house was bought by a property developer who was going to do it up and donate it to the nation but couldn’t raise enough money so it was sold again. The property was about to fall into disrepair and was going to be demolished but a consortium of old Etonians brought the property and turned it into a private school.


The Grounds and gardens.


The grounds are absolutely beautiful with wonderful landscapes and vistas as far as the eye can see. In total it covers an area of 750 acres. You may see various scenes in many period films the landscapes from Stowe which are used including the formal gardens and the monuments spread throughout the estate. There are countryside walks you can take through meadows, farmland and woods. Meandering through the grounds with the forty temples and statues help make it very picturesque and pretty and the different temples and monuments appearing at various places throughout the estate provide fantastic photo opportunities. The grounds are spectacular all through the year giving delightful contrasts both in the winter spring summer and autumn.

The Corinthian arch.

The view of the massive Corinthian Arch from the terrace of the house is beautiful. The landscaped gardens lead down to the lake and on the other side of the lake there is a shingled roadway leading to the arch. The view from the house was created by Capability Brown. It took over 20 years to create this view as we can see it today. This is the most spectacular view in Stowe and the centre point of your visit.

The Octagon Lake.

The lake is right ahead of you and was known as the Octagon Lake but it is no longer an octagonal as it was restyled in 1750. There used to be a massive Obelisk In the centre of the lake but that was also removed at the same time. You can walk around the perimeter of the lake affording you wonderful views of the house especially from that farthest side.

The Elysian fields.

This was created in the 1700’s to honour the most notable people in history.
It includes the following temples and monuments.

The Temple of Ancient virtue is dedicated to four great Greek men Socrates, Homer, Lycurgus and Epaminondas.

The temple of British worthies is a shrine in honour of famous people whose names that you would instantly recognise famed for their great ideas or actions. There are two sets of eight busts set in Grecian alcoves in a wall including Shakespeare, Queen Elizabeth the 1st , Milton and Alexander Pope to name a few. This is a beautiful and peaceful area to walk through. There is also a rose garden to walk through with a wide variety of roses.

The seasons fountain made in honour of the Prince of Wales visit in 1805 made out of an old marble chimney

St. Mary’s church a 13th century church still in use today.

The Eastern Garden.


The gothic temple based on medieval buildings such as Westminster abbey. It is currently inhabited and looks fantastic from different views around the estate. It looks quite spooky and is on top of a hill in the middle of a field.

The friendship temple was used as a meeting place for men but was burnt down and the ruins remain as a monument. It is still a magnificent building to look at.

The Queens temple currently being used as the schools music room.

The Palladian bridge which has featured in many films. It is much lower now since the damming of the lake.

The Chinese house. This was the first known Chinese style house built in the UK. It had been dismantled and reassembled on the Wooten Estate but returned to Stowe after an absence of 200 years.

The seven Saxon deities. These statues are representative of the Saxon Gods that gave their names to the days of the week. Mona, Tiw, Woden, Thuner, Friga, Seatern and Sunna.

The rotunda temple with a golden statue of a posing Venus.

The Grecian valley. Created by Lancelot Capability Brown in 1741.

The biggest temple on the estate is the temple of concord and victory. It is a beautiful palladian building and took many years to build and has continually been remodelled over the years.

The Cobham Monument is a Memorial to remember Lord Cobham and there is a statue of him on the top of it dressed in Roman Armour. It is the tallest building on the estate and from the top you can see 5 surrounding counties. It is 104 feet tall and the statue was blown off the top by a bolt of lightening in 1957. The only surviving part of the statue were the head and a hand which has been restored and placed back on the top using those two original pieces.

The fane (Sacred place or temple) of pastoral poetry originally housed the busts now placed in the temple of worthies.

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Would I recommend a visit here.

Yes at any time of the year as the gardens are beautiful in different ways according to what time of the year you are visiting. The autumn is very beautiful with colourful brown, red and golden hues of the trees. The lakes take on different appearances at different times of the year and look stunning when it is frozen or glinting in the spring sun and calm and inviting during the summer. Be prepared for quite some walking and decent walking shoes are a necessity.

There are the following facilities in the park.
Parking, Toilets, Tea room, gift shop, Dogs may be taken but must be kept on a lead.

The parklands are run by the National trust and are open all year round and it is free entrance but the gardens are mainly open every weekend throughout the year and also some weekdays as certain times for which there is a charge.

Adults £7.15
Child £3.65
Family Ticket £17.95


Stowe Landscape Gardens
Buckingham,
Buckinghamshire.
MK18 5DQ
Telephone: 01494 755568 (Info line)

The family who owned the land and subsequently the building of the hall are the family Curzon who originally came over to England with from France during the Norman invasion and settled in the Derbyshire area.

The building of Kedleston Hall was started in 1759 and took roughly six years to build. It was designed by the famous architect and interior designer the sought after services of Scottish born Robert Adam who was famous for his magnificent building designs and attention to the tiniest of detail. He studied architecture throughout Europe but particularly in Italy and developed his neo classical style of designing.

Most of his projects were very grand. The North entrance is in the design of a grand Palladian house with large columns standing proudly at the front of the building. To reach the house one has to drive up sweeping drive ways giving a fantastic view of the house from a distance. Robert designed a bridge to go over the river which in itself is a grand design. Approaching the house one can not feel excited by its grandeur. To enter the house there are a pair of grand staircases to the left and the right of the main entrance. In between the columns there are statues standing in poses within alcoves depicting Romanesque figures either holding the following objects a discus, tambourine, flute and an archer.



On entering through the main door you are immediately overwhelmed by the grand hall. It is extremely impressive and very high with 20 columns of alabaster 25 foot high. They have the appearance of mottled brown tortoise coloured. Here the guests would meet and be entertained or grand dances held here. There are alcoves on either side of the hall containing posing Statues and grand fire places in the middle of each wall. Originally the Baron had intended to have a gallery where musicians could play but he had run out of money so it was never completed. The flooring is inlaid with alabaster and marble.

There are four wings to the house the one on the East side housed the family wing the West side housed the kitchen areas both reached by curved corridors which are now used as display areas. The one leading to the family wing displays large portrait paintings of the various members of the Curzon family. Just inside the door on the right hand side is a massive painted wall containing a list of the family tree. Half way along the corridor there is a large fireplace with an inset of Wedgewood.

To reach this corridor one must first pass through the beautiful music room with lots of scenic paintings some with a musical theme on the wall. There is a cute organ that had been designed by Adams and carved by the local carpenters to house the working part of the organ. This room is quite bright and was the only part of the house along with the dining room used as an everyday room by the family. There are two kettle drums either side of the organ and a harpsichord. It feels quite a homely room with gilt furniture and unusual chairs. There is a beautiful guilt clock above the fireplace.

Passing through the drawing room it is brightly decorated in a light blue damask wall paper with four matching sofas which are adorned with golden mermaids. Despite it being a very beautiful room it was rarely used by the family apart from holding card games and after dinner chats. After passing through this room you reach the library which has a variety of glassed book cases and a wonderful square mahogany writing desk. There is a lovely reading chair which is unusual in that you would have to straddle it to read a book. There are arm rests on both sides and a piece of wood that would act as a reading lectern. The ceiling is delightfully covered in ornate white plasterwork making the room appear to be very bright and conducive to read or study.

The next room you enter is another room with an amazing wow factor. It is called the saloon it is circular in shape and is based on the Pantheon in Rome. There are alcoves in the walls in which stand urns on top of plinths. The ceiling is domed and has gilt octagonal shapes and roses inset. It is absolutely stunning and so very beautiful. Balls would have been held here as it is a magnificent room.

The rooms following on are made up of the state apartment which all grand houses had for visiting royalty or to impress very important people. There is an ante room where people would be received to have an audience with whom ever was visiting. Leading on from the ante room you come to the state dressing room and then the state bedroom which contained a large four poster bed with grand carvings and feathered plumes. It is decorated in soothing pale green colours which matched the bedding and soft furnishings broken up with paintings on the walls. The final room of the state apartment was the wardrobe.

The dining room is on the West side of the house next to the grand hall. It is quite cosy and looks very formal and was used rarely apart from formal entertaining. The family would have taken most of their meals in the breakfast room of the family wing. There was an alcove area where the food would have been kept warm. There is also a large trough made out of Sicilian jasper which would have been filled with iced water to keep the wines cold. The centre piece is remarkable it is silver and called an epergne which means time saver. On this large piece would be the sauces, salt, pepper and sugar in small bowls on projecting arms. On the top there would have been fresh fruit for helping yourself to the fruit for or after dessert.

After looking around the main rooms of the house you descend the great staircase to the lower floor to reach a large entertaining room called Caesars hall. This is where estate workers would have met and held their staff parties. There is also a smoking room as smoking was not permitted upstairs. This room looks out to the lawns and beautiful parkland. The final room to view is the museum which houses gifts to Lord Curzon during his time as Viceroy to India at the end of the 1800’s.
The Duchess exhibition.

There is currently an exhibition held here about the making of the film The Duchess. There are clothes and pictures of scenes taken from the film. The house was used for filming and there was much discussion and lots of arrangements to be made before the filming took place. The floor was completely covered by an imitation floor that would preserve and protect it should the burning hair cause any damage. Great efforts were made by the production team to replicate furniture and fittings removing the originals so they would not be damaged.

The opening scenes of the film showed gentlemen on the lawns playing a game with Georgiana looking down from a balcony. This was the stairways at the back of the house which are even better than the entrance at the front of the house. The house has been used extensively in various films but it is the film the Duchess which has rekindled such interest.


All Saints Church.

Next to the house is All Saints church where many of the Curzon’s are interred.. It is the only surviving building that was part of the village before Kedleston Hall was built.

The Gardens.

On the south side of the house there were once formal gardens which over time have been pulled up and re lawned. There are a variety of Statues dotted around the garden area.

The Park.

There is over 820 acres of parkland offering delightful landscape scenes and vistas. There are lakes and cascades, wonderful trees and plants planted such as Laburnum, syringus, lilacs, honeysuckle, oaks and willow, small buildings and statues and four different walks you can take around the estate. Sheep are grazing in the fields so please make sure that any gates you go through must be closed. There are ha-ha’s (sunken ditches) created which gives uninterrupted views over the parkland. There is also a fishing pavilion and the neo classical bridge. Lots of wildlife inhabits the parkland including Kingfishers and birds of prey. Flowers adorn the park particularly in the spring such as bluebells and daffodils.
The address for those with Sat nav is as follows

Kedleston Hall.
nr Quarndon,
Derby.
DE22 5JH

Admission prices

Adult £9
Child £4.50
Family £22.50

The park and gardens only
Adult £4
Child £2
Family £10.10


Opening times.

The house is open from February to November from 12noon to 5PM
Grounds 11AM – 6PM
Church 11Am- 5PM.

Having recently visited Chatsworth I wanted to explore Hardwick Hall the home of Bess Hardwick who was instrumental in the building of nearby Chatsworth house.


Who was Bess Hardwick?

Elizabeth Hardwick otherwise known as Bess of Hardwick was born on the 27th August 1627 and grew up at Old Hardwick Hall. She obtained her wealth by marrying four times and being left considerable wealth when her husbands died. She was the second richest woman after Queen Elizabeth the 1st.

Bess bought Hardwick old hall from her brother building Hardwick new Hall where she spent the remainder of her life dying there in 1608 at the grand old age of 80.


Hardwick Hall is a magnificent property which highlights grand and gracious living in the Elizabethan age. It took seven years to build and on top of the house there are the initials E.S. on the parapets. It is built high on a hill over looking the derelict old hall and commanding wonderful views of the valleys below and the Derbyshire country side. The hall is built of local stone and is three stories high. Each floor has hundreds of windows which was a sign of wealth and there was a saying coined ‘Hardwick Hall more glass than wall’ and this is certainly true.

Hardwick Hall houses the most impressive collection of tapestries in the world; practically every wall is covered by magnificent tapestries and embroideries to cover the walls and to provide warmth. There was no plumbing or heating in the house apart from fire places which would have had roaring log fires but it must have been absolutely freezing to live here and not very nice for the poor servants who had to walk up all the stairs with water from the ground floor to the upper floors. There was no electricity in the house and it would have been dimly lit by candles. There also were no toilets and chamber pots would have been used at night which would have been collected by the servants and walked through the house and downstairs for disposal. Not a pleasant job I shouldn’t wonder for anyone.

What is unique about this house is that the higher the floors went the higher the rooms were built. There are other features that were unique to Hardwick Hall. The high servant’s quarters were on the ground floor and would have housed the more senior servants whereas the others or junior staff would have lived in near by accommodation around the estate. The entrance hall used to be the dining room for the servants and there is a large trestle table and benches where they would eat. There is a gallery above the hall over looking it. The children of the family would live on the top floor of the house and come down to the dining room to eat their meals and return to the top floor where they were taught by governesses. There are is some wood panelling and a couple of tapestries on the walls. A large plaque above the fireplace is Bess’s coat of arms are inlaid with a set of real antler horns. There is a massive painting of Bess on the opposite wall.

On the ground floor there are exhibitions of the fine needlework that was sewn and embroidered by Bess and Mary Queen of Scots from her time spent imprisoned at Chatsworth. Much of the furniture and paintings hanging on the walls were moved from Chatsworth.

When there were visitors to the house the house would become awash with servants who would just have to find a place to sleep anywhere within the house. The ground floor also housed the kitchen and laundry facilities.

There is a grand staircase leading up to the middle floor which is open on one side. Here are the state rooms. The first room you come into is an extremely grand room with tapestries covering all the walls. It is known as the High Great chamber. At the top of the walls are painted plaster frescos depicting hunting scenes. The room is exceptionally high and must have been freezing. On the floor is carpeting made of reeds. To prevent it drying out and turning to chaff it has to be lightly moistened with water to maintain it.

Here in this great hall Elizabeth would greet and dine with important visitors to her house and there is a pair of throne chairs under a canopy so that all eyes were on her. Her chair was easily identifiable as it was embroidered and had gold tassel threads and her initials on it. Here the guests would eat quite sumptuously before moving to the retiring rooms however being that it was quite a way from the kitchen it was more than likely that the food was never served piping hot.

To the side of the large banqueting hall the guests would have been able to play games and be entertained. There is a large games table with various inlaid games on the surface. In the middle of the long wall is a grand fire place with the coat of arms of Bess featured quite largely.

After leaving the banqueting hall you enter the long gallery hall which is one of the longest halls in any house in the country. Most halls like this would only have been found in very rich households or in palaces stretching the whole length of the house. In those days a long hall signified power and status and would have been used to display wealth. It would have been here when the weather was bad that the guests would promenade up and down the hall.

All the walls are adorned with tapestries and paintings usually of the monarch and family members. There are two large alcoves with windows all around and on the wall side of the hall there are two very grand fireplaces. In the middle of the hall there are two throne chairs again sat beneath a canopy. The windows allowed the hall to be quite bright but now they are shaded by blinds to protect the rare, delicate tapestries from being ruined by the sun. Leading off from the hall are small retiring rooms for people to relax in. One had been turned into a library and there is some very old wood furniture here that is delicately carved.

On the top floor of the house were smaller more homely rooms in which the family lived, All of these rooms were smaller and more comfortable and it is here that Bess died in her bed.
Some visitors might find it somewhat overwhelming with tapestries adorning every available space on the walls but it is a treasure that you may never see anywhere else in the world on this scale. We should be proud of our national treasures especially as they are left in trust for us to experience and enjoy.

During the 2nd world war the house was used as a training base for the RAF due to its position on top of the hill and the suitability for a landing strip. The soldiers were billeted here during the war and once the war was over the lakes at the bottom of the hill were dredged and 300 bicycles were discovered probably nicked by the soldiers who were going to be late returning to barracks.

The Hardwick estate consists of some 300 acres of parkland and gardens. Around the house in the front courtyard and at the rear were formal gardens and to the side orchards, herb and vegetable gardens. There are woods, forests, lakes and fields to explore on foot. Some of the buildings are still in use today, a 17th century inn which was probably staff quarters, stables, a restored flour mill with a water wheel at the entrance to the Hardwick Estate there is also a stone masonry workshop which is still used today and all kinds of other small buildings and farms. There are even some small properties that can be rented for between 6 and 12 people.

The old Hardwick hall is situated right near the brow of the hill and would have had wonderful views. Sadly this is now in ruins but it is preserved by English Heritage on behalf of the National trust. This must have been quite magnificent too in its hey day. You can explore the ruins which incurs an additional charge.

It is also possible to get married at Hardwick hall.


How to find Hardwick hall.

For drivers with Sat Nav assistance the address is:-

Hardwick Hall,
Doe Lea,
Chesterfield,
Derbyshire
S44 5QJ.

The hall is in view of the M1 motorway and leave at Junction 29. There are plenty of brown tourist signs to direct you to the hall.



Admission prices.

Adult £10
Child £5
Family £25
Garden only.
Adult £5
Child £2.50
Joint admission to Old and New Hardwick Hall
£12.75


Opening times are only between 12 & 4.30 PM and 11AM to 3PM in winter.

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