CAVENDISH HOTEL & CHATSWORTH FARM SHOP

Cavendish Hotel was our favorite hotel of the trip. Sitting on the property of Chatsworth made it even better.

My usual faves are everywhere--stone facade, white framed windows, climbing roses, with a bit of lilac thrown in.

Cavendish is the family name of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire.

                                             That's Miss Leslie waving from our window.

                   And here is the view from our room.  Is there a bad view in the English countryside?

          Caramel, cream, and pinky-red is a favorite combination of mine.  Just right for the front room.

                                                  Public rooms for reading or chatting.

The hallway to our room - I'm always smitten by striped walls.

Almost didn't post--why can't I remember to take a picture before our stuff is strewn all over the place?

                                 Blues and silvers invited us right into this elegant dining room.

          Chatsworth Farm Shop was a must on our list.  We picked up breakfast for the next morning.

                                                     Look at all that smoked salmon.        

          Couldn't decide between gooseberry or bramble and apple yogurt.  So bought both. Yum.

                                                    A little happy hour at the end of the day.

CHATSWORTH GARDENS

It was late June but it felt like September as we roamed around Chatsworth. 

Dark clouds would roll along, followed by bits of bright blue skies, and a light breeze every now and then.  No rain, so no need to stash an umbrella in the bag. Bliss.

One of the nice things about Chatsworth is that you don't have to follow a tour guide throughout the estate.  No bunched up groups smacking into each other.  You can speed walk through, stop when you've found something interesting, or dreamily walk along pretending to live there.  We would be the latter.

                      Speaking of living there, this is the family's private entrance to Chatsworth.

                                             Note the topiaries at the top of the steps.

Let's roam around a bit.  The gardens at Chatsworth continue to evolve but the two most famous of the landscape architects are Lancelot "Capability" Brown (who designed most of the open parkland) and Joseph Paxton, who is probably the best remembered of the long list of rock star gardeners.

       
                                                                 The Cascade House
                                                  On a warm day you can give your toes a dip

                                                                       Peonies!

   
                                                             The Cottage Garden

                             She was my favorite sculpture standing guard along the hedge row

             
                                                                    The Rockery
                                                          Designed by Joseph Paxton

                                                The Emperor Fountain and Canal Pond
                                                     Also designed by Joseph Paxton

                                                      Rose gardens at the Orangery

                                    Hmmm,  interesting.  Wouldn't want it in my garden, though.

                                                                        West Parterre    

                                     
                                                                Oh, what's this?

                                                     Let's take an ice cream break
                       

                                                        So fun!  Thanks for stopping by.

FINALLY TO CHATSWORTH - INTERIORS

What a gorgeous day at Chatsworth.  Just look at those colors!

Certainly, we were meant to be there on a day like this.

           I suspect you know that Chatsworth is home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire.
And, of course, you are fully aware that Chatsworth was used for the exterior shots of the 2005 film Pride and Prejudice.  

                           The famous Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, lived at Chatsworth.
                     You probably read all about her in Amanda Foreman's excellent biography.

                       Deborah Mitford Cavendish, the current Dowager Duchess of Devonshire
                                        Her biography Wait for Me!: Memoirs is a delight.
                                                     

               How about a tour of the interiors of this majestic estate?  The artwork is astounding.
Paintings, sculptures, tapestries, wood carvings, metalworks, and more fill Chatsworth up to the attics.

         Paintings by Thomas Gainsborough, John Singer Sargent,  and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, are just a      few of the artists in the Chatsworth collection.

                                          Paintings fill up the walls along the hallways

                                                 and on the ceiling of the grand entrance hall.

       And tucked under those gorgeous stairs in the entrance hall is a ping pong table for family fun.
                                                       

                                                      Dazzling porcelains all lined up
                           Perfect illustration as to why grouping collections has such impact

                                                   Hand painted Chinese wallpaper from 1830
               I loved this so much that I bought several items in the gift shop depicting this pattern

                                                      The Mary, Queen of Scots room
                                                        A little cramped but I'll take it

                                            Picture taken in honor of my sweet niece, Ellie.

                                           Different chair but love the fabric combination

    Don't you just want to crawl into that bed, pull tight the bed hangings, sleep the sleep of the just,
                                and then be awakened with tea and toast served on a tray?

                                                       

                                         And how about ending the day in the library?
Sitting in one of those cosy chairs (I'm thinking the dark green velvet chair on the left side would be            perfect), reading a good book in the middle of a 'dark and stormy night' is my idea of heaven.

                                                            "A Veiled Vestal Virgin"
                                                                by Raffaelle Monti    
                                                               Marble, yes, marble

               
                                                                   The dining room

                     
                                                                The dining room
                                      (Couldn't decide which shot to use so I posted both)

               
                                                  Entering into the sculpture gallery

         This is how I felt after touring Chatsworth, with hand to heart and a wistful look on my face.                                            
                                           Next post: The Gardens of Chatsworth