Chatsworth House

Chatsworth House - What WE Say...

Wow.

That’s the whole review, really. No, honest. A day out at Chatsworth – my goodness, what a day it was. Just one of those magical, perfect, special days you never forget, y’know? We’re not the easiest family to please – there being 6 of us, and four of those being aged 10, 8, 6 and 2 – it’s a tall order to keep us all happy, all day.

But Chatsworth made it with ease.

And before you start saying “my children don’t ‘do’ old houses”, let me tell you that the day at Chatsworth was Joe’s favourite day of the whole fortnight in the Peak District. And Joe is as active as any 8 year old gets, detests being careful, standing still, being quiet and all those other dull things you equate with old protected houses.

Firstly, Chatsworth is a home – not a museum. It is still lived in, and you can feel that from the minute you step inside – this is a house that has seen generations of children running through it, and welcomes them still with open arms. Secondly, the children’s trail was just ace. Brilliant. Joe led us through the house from his trail, and spent ages looking for the animals in each room (there were cryptic clues on his worksheet, and the animals could be in paintings, on clocks, under tables or gracing china). His one and only complaint was that in a few rooms the stewards were TOO helpful, and volunteered the answer before he’d even had a chance to look. He was happy for the help – but only when he’d had a chance to look for himself, he didn’t want the answer handed to him!

The exhibition showing off Chatsworth on the Big Screen was fascinating (even if the boys did keep asking why Keira Knightly was shown but no pirates…). They loved the dressing up room – and we were so impressed by the clothes and wigs available. Beautifully made, gorgeous to see on our children a wonderful way of bringing the history of the house alive to the boys.

When we regretfully left the house the sculpture gallery held us for a long time. The boys were insistent on finding every single animal in there, and we were left to be entranced by the sculptures (I adored the enormous lions but they terrified Ella, so I had to scoot past with her whimpering on my neck, foolish girl).

A quick stop for an ice cream, and then we couldn’t resist any longer and HAD to climb the hill beside the long waterfall. What an entrancing place! Once we had conquered the hill, absorbed the view from the top, and then run full pelt down the other side (the boys, not us, we didn’t want to scare other visitors), we felt ready to tackle the maze. But it took us ages to get there - we kept getting sidetracked. First it was the tree fountain. Then the pond with floating metal balls. Oh, and the grotto. Then the underground tunnel (from which we rescued a frog. Of course). Anyhoo, we eventually made it. The boys shot off at top speed, Mr Laura, Ella and I took a more leisurely pace – and made it to the centre MUCH faster without the running and hollering of course :). I make that sound far too easy – it is a real, proper, fools-you-often maze with high hedges, and it took us quite a while to make our way through!

By this time the afternoon was running away with us, and a leisurely stroll back through the gardens softly bathed in the perfect autumnal sunshine, with the boys darting all around exploring the gardens and stopping at the sculptures. This year Chatsworth is hosting the Beyond Limits exhibition until November 1st – and I can’t urge you strongly enough to make the trip over to see it. I never imagined we’d have such a wonderful opportunity to show the children contemporary sculpture in quite such a perfect setting. They had no idea they were exploring an art gallery – the pieces exhibited were so large, and created such an impact – the children (and us!) couldn’t help but react to them. They giggled and laughed over Botero’s ‘Dancers’ (my personal favourites), Ella demanded butterfly hair like the Mariposa, and Henry Moore’s ‘Reclining Figure’ had them puzzled and drew them closer like a magnet.

We had such a wonderful time exploring the grounds that we completely failed to make it back to the farmyard and playground before it closed – and they didn’t even mind!
I cannot wait to go back again, and only wish we lived close enough to make it a regular visiting spot for us.

(Don’t forget to visit our blog to see the pictures of our day at Chatsworth)

Website: www.chatsworth.org

Chatsworth House - What THEY Say...

Chatsworth is the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, one of Britain's best loved historic estates and the heart beat of the Peak District National Park. With famous works of art, a working farmyard, spectacular fountains and the finest shopping and eating, there is something for everyone to enjoy.

In 2009 visitors will experience Chatsworth in the midst of a landmark Masterplan of restoration and development. Don't miss the chance to share in our most exciting year yet.