A Tour of Chatsworth House - I

A general view of the south elevation of Chatsworth House

After visiting Darfield on the second weekend of the 2019 Heritage Open Days festival in September, unlike during the Indian summer the year before, I did not expect to do much more travelling before the end of the year. 

St. Peter's church in Edensor

In July 2019, I had been asked to give a talk to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the consecration of St. Peter’s church in Edensor. With my chosen theme being The Devonshire Marbles – An Exploration of the Decorative Stones from the Chatsworth Estate, I took up an invitation to visit Chatsworth House, a couple of weeks later. 

The Geology of Chatsworth House

Although I had visited Chatsworth Park twice in the last couple of years, it was over 30 years since I had been inside the house itself and, this time, I took with me a very informative article that had been published back in 2008 by the East Midlands Geological Society - The Geology of Chatsworth House, Derbyshire by Ian Thomas and Mick Cooper. 

The bus stop at Chatsworth House

On my arrival on the 218 bus from Sheffield at 11 o’clock in the morning, just after opening time, I headed towards the house and was unexpectedly met by Lynne, who had invited me to give a talk. While waiting to be given my pass, I soon realised that taking photographs would not be an easy task - judging by the large number of visitors already crowding to get in, 

The North Front Hall

When visiting Chatsworth House for the first time, I had not yet developed specialist interests in building and decorative stones nor had I realised that Lady Georgiana Spencer, the 6th Duke of Devonshire and the 11th Duke had been very keen mineral collectors or that such a wide range of decorative stones had been used in the house. 

The stairs to the North Corridor

From experience of living in Bakewell and visiting churches and historic buildings in and around the Peak District National Park, I had a good knowledge of the various stones quarried from the Chatsworth Estate; however, shortly after walking up the stairs in North Front Hall and entering the North Corridor, I knew my copy of Decorative Stone – The Complete Sourcebook by Monica T. Price would later come in handy.

Decorative Stone - The Complete Sourcebook