Visiting Mr Darcy

On Friday last week we visited Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, G had taken a day off work to complete a fire risk assessment for a friend at their holiday cottages. Chatsworth is the home of Peregrine Cavendish, the 12th Duke of Devonshire and his family. You might know it better as the location of Pemberley in the 2005 Pride and Prejudice film. In fact, it is thought that Jane Austen used Chatsworth House in Derbyshire as the basis for Pemberley, Mr Darcy's House. 

It was a beautiful day, if a little cold and windy.

Elizabeth was delighted. She had never seen a place for which nature had done more, or where natural beauty had been so little counteracted by an awkward taste. They were all of them warm in their admiration; and at that moment she felt that to be mistress of Pemberley might be something! 

Pride & Predjudice, Ch. 43

The house is beautiful and the grounds are too. The only point of disappointment for me is that some bits of the house are always given over to some kind of modern art, and that's not my cup of tea. But each to their own!

Visitor entrance

You may recall, if you've seen the Keira Knightly film, how she looks about with wonder at the painted ceilings in the hall? This is known as the Painted Hall.

It really is quite beautiful.

Can't remember which bedroom this was

State Drawing Room

State Music Room

State Music Room: The walls here are stamped and gilded leather.

State Bedchamber

Silk Shepherdess Costume, worn by Duchess Evelyn aged 29 while in India (c.1889)

The tiny waist on this dress is ridiculous! It's about the width of my leg. Crazy.

Library

Sleepy kitty

Mr Darcy bust as used in the film

This made me chuckle 😂

It was a lovely tour. We had lunch in the Carriage House Café on site, which was very tasty. We both had Homity pie, chips and seasonal veg. We took a good look round the gardens, which are huge and beautiful.