CHATSWORTH A VISIT ANY TIME
Mistress of the Robes coronation gown, worn by Duchess Evelyn at the 1937 Coronation and Duchess Mary at the 1953 Coronation, part of the House Style exhibition on now captivating individuals from the Cavendish family, including Bess of Hardwick, one of the most powerful women of the 16th century; the 18th century “Empress of Fashion” Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, and Adele Astaire, the sister and dance partner of Fred Astaire.
Deborah Devonshire, author Nancy Mitford, model Stella Tennant and John F Kennedy’s sister ‘Kick’ Kennedy are also central to the show.
The exhibition is woven throughout the grand rooms of the house including the painted hall, the chapel and the state music room and mixes art history, fashion, jewellery, archival material, design and textiles.
It’s a fascinating trip through history, and you don’t have to be a fashion connoisseur to appreciate what you’re looking at.
It includes personal family collections such as the Duchess of Devonshire’s Givenchy bolero which she wore on her wedding day, uniforms, coronation robes, fancy-dress costumes and also some stunning couture too.
These include items from the likes of Christian Dior, Gucci – the principal sponsor – Helmut Lang, Margiela, Vivienne Westwood, Erdem, Alexander McQueen, Christopher Kane and Vetements.
Back outside, and for the younger generation, there’s the farmyard where you can take part in animal handling and watch milking demonstrations and also play in the woodland playground where there is a rope park, trampoline, slides and sand play. This will certainly keep the children busy for a few hours.
We stayed for three nights and there are always different events on the go, so there’s no chance of ever getting bored.
The village of Bakewell is only a short drive away and Chatsworth’s farm shop is also worth a trip. We caught it on a day when there were market stalls selling local food and drink, and it was all top-quality fare.
Chatsworth House is an impressive place to visit, with plenty to do and see in the grounds and in the surrounding area. We know we’ll be making a return visit soon.