Chatsworth House

Vicky Sartain

Home to one of Europe’s most significant art collections, this beautiful stately home set in extensive parkland in north Derbyshire is regularly voted the UK’s favourite country house. Rebuilt between 1687 and 1707 on the site of Bess of Hardwick’s original Tudor mansion, Chatsworth House became the seat of the Duke of Devonshire and over the centuries the Cavendish family has amassed a unique and extensive collection of priceless paintings, furniture, Old Master drawings, Neoclassical sculptures books and other artefacts, which continues to entice art lovers from all over the world.

There are many structures other than the house on the estate, including two surviving Elizabethan buildings, the Hunting Tower and Queen Mary’s Bower. Flora’s Temple and the 1st Duke’s greenhouse survive from the 1690s, the stable block and bridge were built by James Paine in the 1760s and Joseph Paxton’s Conservative Wall and other glasshouses date from the 19th century.

The 105-acre gardens are an essential part of a visit and have evolved over 450 years. The famous waterworks in the garden, which include a 300-year-old cascade, a trough waterfall and the spectacular Empoeror fountain are a must-see.

Chatsworth House, Bakewell, Derbyshire DE45 1PP. Tel: 01246 565 300 or visit www.chatsworth.org