Chatsworth,
Bakewell,
Derbyshire
Telephone 01246 565300
www.chatsworth.org

The house dating back to 1557 was a 3-storey Elizabethan structure enclosing a square court. It covered roughly the area of the present house (without the addition made by the 6th Duke) and its walls were partly incorporated into the existing structure when the house was remodelled between 1686 and 1707 for the 4th Earl, who was later made a duke by King William III for his support in the "Glorious Revolution" of 1688, which brought King William and Queen Mary to the throne of England. At first the Earl only intended to rebuild the south front, but with the accession of William III and the elevation of the Earl to a Dukedom his schemes became grander, and by 1707 he had in fact rebuilt the whole house.  
   
The Duke devoted as much attention to the interior of the house as to the exterior. A team of the finest craftsmen available in England had been busy since 1689 with the painting and stuccoing of ceilings, the panelling of walls and the forging of wrought iron for banisters, thereby making the rooms, hall, staircases and chapel of Chatsworth among the most splendid to be found in any English country house.

  Chatsworth, the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire,In July 2002, Chatsworth won the special Chairman’s prize from the Heart of England Tourist Board for its outstanding contribution to tourism in the area. Visitors are warmly welcomed by everyone who works on the estate and the 1000 acre Park is open, free, throughout the year.
Visitors can see more than 30 magnificent rooms, displaying treasures from the art collection, and the Garden contains famous water works, sculptures, rose and kitchen gardens and a maze.


MAGNIFICENT ROOMS ARE AVAILABLE FOR LECTURES, MEETINGS, CONFERENCES, PRODUCT LAUNCHES, RECEPTIONS AND MEALS.

The north and west ranges of the Stables have been adopted to provide modern conference facilities. These rooms, decorated and furnished by the Duchess and fitted with modern facilities , can be hired individually, as a group, or in conjunction with the Carriage House Restaurant. They are normally available for day or evening hire between March and November inclusive. All the rooms are on the ground floor and are easily accessible for people in wheelchairs.

The Hartington Room (shown on the right) is designed as a fully-equipped lecture, conference and meeting room seating 70 people theatre-style.

  

OPENING TIMES 2003
Open from 2 April to 21 December 2003

HOUSE

GARDEN
SHOPS

11.00am - 5.30pm
Last admission 4.30pm

Last admission to the Scots Bedrooms is 4.00pm

(9 extra rooms, not always open)
11.00am - 6.00pm
Last admission 5.00pm

Garden opens at 10.30am in June, July and August
11.00am to 5.30pm

RESTAURANT
PARK
JEAN PIERRE'S BAR

10.15am to 5.30pm.

Hot food served at lunchtime.
Open all year. No charge.

11am to 5.00pm.
Hot food available all day.

 

Farmyard and Adventure Playground

10.30am - 5.30pm, last admission 4.30pm

The Farmyard and woodland Adventure Playground has a wide variety of animals on display and a new programme of talks, activities and demonstrations, and the playground delights and challenges children of all ages. There are 3 gift shops, a restaurant and bar, plant sales and the award-winning farmshop is a mile away in the estate village of Pilsley.

Please note that opening times may alter from Saturday 8th November. The Directors of the Chatsworth House Trust reserve the right to alter the admission charges and times of opening without prior notice.

Chatsworth house is 8 miles north of Matlock, off the B6012. It is 16 miles from junction 29 of the M1, signposted via Chesterfield, and it is 42 miles from junction 19 of the M6. The railway station at Chesterfield is 30 minutes away, by taxi.