Chatsworth House facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Chatsworth House
The River Derwent, bridge and house at Chatsworth
General information
Type	House
Architectural style	English Baroque, Italianate
Location	near Bakewell, Derbyshire
Country	England
Coordinates	53°13′40″N 1°36′36″W / 53.22778°N 1.61000°W / 53.22778; -1.61000
Elevation	125 m (410 ft)
Construction started	1687
Completed	1708, with additions 1820–1840
Owner	Trustees of the Chatsworth Settlement, who lease the house to the Chatsworth House Trust.
Technical details
Floor count	5
Floor area	Main house (excluding wing): approx 81,000 sq ft
Design and construction
Architect	William Talman Thomas Archer Jeffry Wyattville Joseph Paxton James Paine
Other information
Number of rooms	Approx 300

Listed Building – Grade I
Official name: Chatsworth House
Designated:	29 September 1951
Reference #:	1373871

Chatsworth House is a huge, fancy country house in Derbyshire, England. It's about 4 miles (6.4 km) north-east of Bakewell. This amazing house has been home to the Cavendish family since 1549. It sits by the River Derwent, surrounded by beautiful parkland and wooded hills.

Chatsworth House is famous for its large collections of paintings, furniture, old drawings, sculptures, and books. Many people think it's Britain's favorite country house. It's a very old building, first built in the 1600s and changed a lot in the 1700s and 1800s. In 2011–2012, it had a big £14-million makeover to keep it looking great. Today, the Chatsworth House Trust, a charity, looks after the house for everyone to enjoy.

History

Early Years (11th–16th Centuries)

The name 'Chatsworth' comes from "Chetel's-worth," meaning "the Court of Chetel." After the Norman Conquest in 1066, the land became property of the Crown. It wasn't a big estate again until the 1400s.

In 1549, Sir William Cavendish bought the land. His wife, Bess of Hardwick, convinced him to build a new house here. Bess started building the house in 1553 near the river. She created ponds that also served as fish farms. Sir William died in 1557, but Bess finished the house in the 1560s.

Mary, Queen of Scots, was held prisoner at Chatsworth several times from 1570. She stayed in rooms now called the Queen of Scots rooms. Bess and Mary even worked on needlework together! Bess died in 1608, and Chatsworth was passed down through her family.

The 17th Century Changes

This old drawing shows Chatsworth in 1699. You can see the new south side, but the old east side is still there. The fancy garden has been started.

This painting from the 1600s shows the front of the old Elizabethan Chatsworth.

Not much changed at Chatsworth until the mid-1600s. During the English Civil War, the house was used by both sides. The owner, the 3rd Earl of Devonshire, had to leave England for a while. When he came back, he tried to make the house more comfortable, but it was old and needed a lot of work.

The famous thinker Thomas Hobbes spent his last few years at Chatsworth. He had been a friend of the family for almost 70 years.

William Cavendish, 4th Earl of Devonshire, who became the 1st Duke in 1694, started rebuilding the house in 1687. He wanted to make it grander. He rebuilt the south, east, west, and north sides of the house. The 1st Duke also had beautiful formal gardens designed by George London and Henry Wise.

The 18th Century Additions

This painting from the late 1700s shows Chatsworth's beautiful setting near the Peak District.

The 2nd and 3rd Dukes didn't change the house much. But they added many paintings, drawings, old coins, and sculptures to the collection. The 3rd Duke also bought fancy furniture for his London home, which later moved to Chatsworth.

The 4th Duke made big changes to the house and gardens. He wanted the main entrance to be from the west. He removed old buildings and parts of a nearby village so they couldn't be seen from the house. He also changed the formal gardens into a more natural style, with help from Capability Brown.

In 1748, the 4th Duke married Lady Charlotte Boyle. Her father, Lord Burlington, was a great architect. When he died, his important collections of drawings, paintings, and furniture came to Chatsworth.

In 1774, the 5th Duke married Georgiana Spencer. She was a famous socialite and friend to many writers and politicians. Her life was even shown in the film The Duchess.

The 19th Century and the "Bachelor Duke"

The 6th Duke's dining room.

The 6th Duke, known as "the Bachelor Duke," loved to travel, build, garden, and collect. He changed Chatsworth a lot. He inherited the house in 1811, along with many other estates.

The Duke collected many sculptures and books. He built a new North Wing with a special Sculpture Gallery for his art. He also bought whole libraries of books! The 6th Duke loved to host parties. Guests would hunt, ride, read, and play billiards. Even Queen Victoria and Charles Dickens stayed at Chatsworth.

A view of Chatsworth from the south-west around 1880. You can see the stables and the Hunting Tower.

In 1832, Princess Victoria (who later became Queen Victoria) visited Chatsworth. She had her first formal adult dinner there at age 13. She returned in 1843 with Prince Albert and enjoyed amazing lights in the gardens and on the fountains.

The Duke spent 47 years changing the house and gardens. He wrote a book about Chatsworth and Hardwick, which was praised by Charles Dickens.

The 20th Century Challenges

Chatsworth around 1913.

In the early 1900s, new taxes and social changes made life harder for the Devonshire family. They had to sell many valuable items, including rare books and thousands of acres of land. Their large London home was also sold and torn down.

The huge glass conservatory in the garden was taken down in 1920. It needed 10 people to run it and lots of coal to heat it. During World War I, there was no coal for it, so all the plants died.

Despite these challenges, life at Chatsworth continued. Many staff members lived and worked in the house. In 1939, during World War II, Chatsworth was used as a girls' school. The house's contents were packed away, and 300 girls lived there for six years. They even grew vegetables in the garden to help with the war effort.

In 1950, Andrew Cavendish became the 11th Duke. His father had tried to avoid high taxes, but he died too soon. This meant the family had to pay a huge amount of tax. To save Chatsworth, the Duke sold more land and some important artworks.

Chatsworth House seen from the top of the Cascade.

The 11th Duke and his wife, Deborah Mitford, decided to move back into Chatsworth in 1959. They updated the house with modern facilities like new wiring, heating, and more bathrooms.

In 1981, the Chatsworth House Trust was created. This charity helps to keep the house and its beautiful surroundings open for everyone to enjoy. The family still lives in part of the house and pays rent to the Trust.

Chatsworth Today (21st Century)

Renovation work on Chatsworth House in 2011.

The 11th Duke died in 2004, and his son, Peregrine Cavendish, became the 12th Duke. His mother, the Dowager Duchess Deborah, worked hard to promote the estate and bring in visitors until her death in 2014. She added many new features to the gardens, like the maze and modern sculptures.

A big renovation project started in 2004. It cost £32 million and took ten years to complete. This work restored the stonework, statues, paintings, and water features. Chatsworth is still home to the 12th Duke and Duchess today.

In 2022, during a heatwave, the outline of an old garden design from the 1600s could be seen on the South Lawn. This happened because the grass dried out faster where the old earthworks were.

Architecture

Chatsworth House is built on a slope, so it's lower on the north and west sides. The first house was built in the 1560s by Bess of Hardwick. It was shaped like a square with a large central courtyard. The main entrance was on the west side.

The south and east sides were rebuilt by 1696 for the 1st Duke. This new design was very important for English Baroque architecture. The south side was revolutionary for its time, with no attics and a dramatic, sculptural look.

The West Front of Chatsworth from an old book called Vitruvius Britannicus.

The west and north sides were built later. The west front is very lively with lots of carved stone. The north front was the last to be built and has a slight curve to make up for the different lengths of the other sides.

In the 1800s, the 6th Duke and architect Jeffry Wyattville added the North Wing, making the house twice as big! This new part was built in an Italianate style that blended well with the older Baroque house. The 6th Duke also built a gatehouse with three gates. The middle gate is now the main entrance for visitors.

The central courtyard was also rebuilt by the 1st Duke. It used to be larger and more open. In the 1800s, new rooms were added on three sides, making it smaller.

Interiors

The 1st and 6th Dukes both inherited an old house and changed it to fit their time. This means Chatsworth is unique, with many different styles and irregularities. Many rooms look like they belong to one period, but they have often been changed over time.

State Apartments

Painted Hall with murals completed 1694 by Louis Laguerre

State Bedroom completed 1694

The Library with plaster work from 1694–1700 and ceiling paintings from the same time. The bookcases and fireplace were added in 1824.

The 1st Duke created very fancy state rooms on the south side. He hoped King William III and Queen Mary II would visit, but they never did. You enter these rooms through the Painted Hall, which has murals of scenes from the life of Julius Caesar.

The Great Chamber is the biggest state room, followed by the State Drawing Room, the Second Withdrawing Room, the State Bedroom, and finally the State Closet. Each room was more private and decorated than the last. The State Music Room has a clever painting of a violin and bow that looks so real, it's called a trompe-l'œil.

The 6th Duke thought about tearing down these state rooms to make new bedrooms. But he decided to keep them mostly as they were, adding small details instead of big changes. In 2010, the rooms were rearranged to look like they did in the 1600s and 1700s.

19th-Century Changes

The 6th Duke changed much of Chatsworth to make it more comfortable for his time. He enclosed the corridors around the courtyard, making it easier to move between rooms indoors. He also added more shared living rooms instead of separate guest apartments.

The Oak Stairs, topped by a glass dome, were built to improve how people moved around the house. Portraits of the Dukes hang along this staircase. The Duke also turned the long gallery into a library, as he loved books. He even installed special single-pane windows, which he thought were the "greatest ornament."

The biggest addition by the 6th Duke was the North Wing. This wing housed service rooms like a kitchen and laundry on the ground floor. On the first floor, there were guest bedrooms. The main rooms included a dining room, a huge sculpture gallery, and an orangery. The Belvedere Tower has a plunge bath and a ballroom that later became a theatre.

Private Rooms

Chatsworth has 126 rooms, but nearly 100 are closed to visitors. The house is set up so the family can live privately while the public visits. The current Duke and Duchess live in rooms on the ground and first floors of the south and west sides, and the top two floors of the north side.

The main family living rooms are on the first floor of the south side. The family dining room is in the south-east corner. The yellow drawing room and blue drawing room are also here. These rooms have access to the garden through an outside staircase.

There are also private bedrooms and sitting rooms. The Scots and Leicester bedrooms are sometimes open for tours when there isn't a large family gathering.

On the ground floor of the West Front, you'll find the West Entrance Hall, which is the family's private entrance. There's also a mineral room, a study, and the Leather Room, which is another library. The Duke's Study is also here, with many books and floral decorations.

Other family rooms are in the eastern half of the ground floor of the South Front. These include a pantry for china and the modern kitchen.

Park and Landscape

The garden at Chatsworth is huge, covering 105 acres (42 hectares), and attracts about 300,000 visitors each year. It has features from six different centuries and is surrounded by a 1.75-mile (2.8 km) wall. It blends into the larger park, which covers 1,000 acres (400 hectares). About 20 full-time gardeners look after it.

Elizabethan Garden

The first garden was built by Sir William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick in 1555. It was much smaller than today's garden. One remaining feature is Queen Mary's Bower, a stone tower where Mary, Queen of Scots was said to have walked.

1st Duke's Garden (1684–1707)

When the 1st Duke rebuilt the house, he also created fancy Baroque gardens. These included many fountains and sculptures. Some parts still exist today:

The Cascade and Cascade House: A set of stone steps where water flows down from fountains. It was built in 1696 and rebuilt in 1701. A beautiful temple was added at the top. It was voted England's best water feature in 2004.
The Canal Pond: A long, rectangular lake dug in 1702, south of the house.
The Seahorse Fountain: A sculpture in a circular pond on the lawn.
The Willow Tree Fountain: A fake tree that sprays water from its branches, surprising visitors.
Flora's Temple: A classical building from 1695, now at the north end of the broad walk. It has a statue of the goddess Flora.

4th Duke's Garden (1755–64)

The 4th Duke hired Lancelot "Capability" Brown to change the garden into a more natural, landscape style. Most of the old ponds and formal gardens were turned into lawns. Many trees were planted, including some from America.

6th Duke's Garden (1826–58)

The Rockeries, with huge stones piled up.

The Emperor Fountain, which can shoot water very high.

In 1826, Joseph Paxton became the head gardener. He worked with the 6th Duke to create many new and exciting features:

The Rockeries and The Strid: Paxton built huge rockeries with rocks weighing tons. Some rocks are so balanced you can move them with a little push. The water flows into a pond called 'The Strid'.
The Arboretum and Pinetum: An area with many different types of trees, including some of the oldest Douglas fir and Giant Sequoia trees in the UK.
The Azalea Dell and the Ravine: A rugged part of the garden with Rhododendrons and Azaleas, steep paths, and a stream.
The Emperor Fountain: Built in 1843 for a visit from the Tsar of Russia (who never came). It was designed to be the world's tallest fountain, shooting water up to 296 feet (90 meters) high! It usually runs at half power due to limited water.
The Conservative Wall: Greenhouses used to grow fruit and camellias. The name has nothing to do with politics.
The bust of the 6th Duke on a Poseidon Temple column: A statue of the 6th Duke on a column, made from parts of an ancient Greek temple.

Two big glasshouses from this time are now gone:

The Great Conservatory at Chatsworth. It was built from 1836 to 1841 and torn down in 1920.

Paxton's daughter Annie standing on a giant Victoria amazonica leaf in the Lily House.

The Great Conservatory: The largest glasshouse in the world when it was built in 1841. It was 277 feet (84 meters) long and 61 feet (19 meters) high. It was demolished in 1920 because it was too expensive to heat.
The Victoria regia House: Built for the giant Amazon water lily, which flowered there for the first time. It was also demolished in 1920.

Modern Garden (1950–Present)

The South Front and the South Lawn with the Seahorse Fountain.

The 11th Duke and Duchess were keen gardeners and brought the garden back to life after World War II. They restored old features and added new ones:

The Serpentine Hedge: A wavy beech hedge planted in 1953.
The Maze: Planted with 1,209 yew trees in 1962, where the Great Conservatory used to be.
The Display Greenhouse (1970): A modern greenhouse with different climate zones for tropical and Mediterranean plants.
The Cottage Garden: Inspired by a flower show exhibit, with flower beds and plant-covered furniture.
The Kitchen Garden: A productive fruit and vegetable garden created in the early 1990s.
Modern sculpture: Many modern art pieces are displayed, including works by Dame Elisabeth Frink.
The Sensory Garden: Designed for disabled visitors, with many fragrant plants.

Stables

The stable block, built from 1758–1767.

The stable block at Chatsworth is a large building near the house. It was designed by James Paine and built from 1758–1767. It has a grand entrance with columns and a clock tower. Originally, it had stalls for 80 horses and all the facilities a stable needed.

The last horses left in 1939. The building then became a store and garage. Today, the stables house a large restaurant and shop for visitors. The 19th-century coach used by the Dowager Duchess and the late Duke at the Queen's Coronation is on display there.

Park, Woods, and Farmyard

The Hunting Tower, built around 1580.

The Bridge, built from 1759–1764.

Chatsworth Park covers about 1,000 acres (400 hectares) and is open to the public for free. It's home to herds of red and fallow deer. Farm animals also graze in the park.

Capability Brown did a lot of work in the park. He straightened the river and planted many trees. He also moved the village of Edensor so it couldn't be seen from the house. A new bridge was built over the river, designed to give the best view of the house.

On the hills east of the park is Stand Wood. The Hunting Tower, built by Bess of Hardwick in 1582, is there. This area is also the source of water for the garden's fountains and cascades.

The late Dowager Duchess Deborah loved rural life. In 1973, the Chatsworth Farmyard exhibit opened. It shows how food is produced and has milking demonstrations and rare animals. There's also an adventure playground for kids.

Estate

A weir on the River Derwent at the Chatsworth estate.

Chatsworth is the center of a 35,000-acre (14,000-hectare) farming estate. This land, along with other properties, belongs to the Trustees of Chatsworth Settlement, a family trust. The Duke and his family receive income from it. The estate includes many farms and over 450 houses and flats.

The Chatsworth Settlement earns money from farming, renting out holiday cottages, and quarries that produce limestone.

The 11th Duke and Duchess were not afraid to get involved in business. The Chatsworth Farm Shop is a large business that employs many people. It also has a restaurant. The Settlement also runs shops and catering at Chatsworth.

Gallery

The State Music Room, finished in 1694.
The Great Chamber, finished in 1694.
The Sculpture Gallery, finished around 1834, designed by Jeffry Wyatville.
The Great Dining Room, finished in 1832, designed by Jeffry Wyatville.
The Dome above the Oak Staircase, built from 1823-1829 by Jeffry Wyatville.
The altarpiece in the chapel, finished in 1693. The bronze sculpture is by artist Damien Hirst.
The ceiling of the Great Staircase, painted by Antonio Verrio in 1691.

Images for kids

Chatsworth with rolling hills behind the house.
Renovation of Chatsworth House, 2011.
Chatsworth House viewed from the top of the Cascade.
Chatsworth, c. 1913.
The 6th Duke's dining room.
A view of Chatsworth from the south-west c. 1880. The stables can be seen behind the house and the Hunting Tower is visible in Stand Wood.
Georgiana as Cynthia from Spenser's Faerie Queene. Painting by Maria Cosway c. 1782.
This late 18th-century oil painting by William Marlow emphasises the romantic aspect of Chatsworth's setting on the edge of the Peak District.
17th-century painting of the west front of the Elizabethan Chatsworth.
This engraving by Kip and Knyff shows Chatsworth part way through the 1st Duke's alterations. The south front has been rebuilt but the original east front survives. The baroque garden has been laid out, but only the first, smaller version of the Cascade has been built, and the Canal Pond has not been dug. The 1st Duke's stables are to the left of the house.