Chatsworth House, Derbyshire England

Another cool thing about Chatsworth House, is that Andrew's Uncle, John Michael Cartwright, was commissioned to do some repair on various works of art in Chatsworth. One in particular, is the famous trompe l'oeil (deceives the eye) painting of a violin on the inner door. Even if you are close to it, it is difficult not to touch it to discover if it is real. It was painted by Jan van der Vaardt (c.1653-1727) on a door brought in the 18th century from Devonshire House in Piccadilly (demolished 1924) and installed in the State Music Room in 1836. For 150 years, the violin has been one of the best remembered things at Chatsworth.

A Little Chatsworth History

The 6th Duke devoted most of hislige to improving Chatsworth. His head gardener, Joseph Paxton, was responsible for the present appearance of the garden. The Duke employed Sir Jeffrey Wyatville (George IV's architect at Windsor Castle) to build the long north wing terminating in the Theatre Tower and to carry out many improvements to the main block..

In the last century, the 9th Duke and his architect W.H. Romaine-Walker, greatly improved the Painted Hall.

The Duke of Devonshire, whose forbears built the house and collected the contents over four centuries, lives in the house with the Dutchess and, like their predecessors, members of the family play an important role in country affairs. The Duke, a man well-known in the racing world, has used his winnings to add to Chatsworth's treasures with examples of both ancient and modern art.

In 1973, the Farmland was opened to give visitirs an insight into how the farms and woodlads on the estate are run and the is a farm shop at nearby Pilsley. The public is also allowed access to certain parts of the park including the Stand Wood Walks in the vicinity of the Hunting Tower.

Chatsworth is open approximately from April to October with its garden and farm. The garden and shop also open on Sundays during part of the winter.