Chatsworth

Garden Shrubery

Chatsworth Estate

It was like a taste of fall as we drove up to the Chatsworth Estate. All of the leaves were changing colors to the cool tones of autumn. Surrounding the estate is 200 acres of care taken gardens lined with fountains, statues, and cobblestone paths. The Chatsworth Estate is the grandest country house in all of England. It has 170 rooms in the entire house and only 60 of them are open to the public on a daily basis. The Duke and his wife live in the ridiculously majestic home, just the two of them. I loved roaming the mansion and gardens, just in awe the entire time.  

Great Dining Hall

The Great Dining Room was one of my favorite rooms. In the 1900’s wealthy families hosted elaborate and expensive house parties, lasting for several days. This dining hall was infamous for accommodating meals to large crowds. The china that was set on the table was in the exact same formation and design as it was when the Queen Elizabeth was over for dinner. This particular dining hall alone had six paintings of family members done by Van Eyck, but none of the paintings are labeled for the security of their worth.  

One  of the grooming rooms of the house had some costumes to show the traditional dress from past centuries. I felt like I was eight years old again playing dress-ups with the old vintage clothing. I have always loved dressing up, so I was in heaven. There were some really funny wigs that we all took turns trying on and laughing at how ridiculous we looked. It was great fun.     

The library hall is one of the rooms that is frequently used by the Duke and Dutchess. The guide told us that the night before they had the U.S. Ambassador over for dinner and after they had conversation in the library hall. The curtains were drawn for him and that rarely happens. The carpets in this particular room were special ordered from the Middle East to directly mirror the ceiling designs.

Fun Fact about Chatsworth:

The Kira Knightly film, Pride and Prejudice, has a scene that was filmed here at Chatsworth. It is Mr. Darsey’s family Estate in the movie.