Autumnal watercolour of Chatsworth House, one of our greatest homes. Chatsworth House is a grand stately home located in the Derbyshire Dales, England, about 4 miles northeast of Bakewell and 9 miles west of Chesterfield. It has been the seat of the Duke of Devonshire and the Cavendish family since 1549. The house is renowned for its English Baroque architecture, extensive art collections spanning 4,000 years, and beautifully maintained gardens and parkland covering over 1,000 acres.
The house features around 300 rooms, including the famous Painted Hall and State Rooms, showcasing masterpieces by artists like Rembrandt and Reynolds alongside modern art. It is a Grade I listed building.
 
There are quite a few interesting facts about this great house.
There is a hidden door in the library that leads to a secret spiral staircase. This feature was designed to allow discreet movement between rooms.
The house also contains an “invisible library”—shelves filled with fake book spines bearing humorous, invented titles. These were created by the 6th Duke of Devonshire and his friends, and a second secret bookcase was added in the 1960s by Duchess Deborah.
The entire village of Edensor was relocated in the 19th century by the Duke to improve the estate’s view—a rare example of large-scale landscape alteration.
The building was used in the 2005 film Pride and Prejudice