Book Description
The almost legendary palace of Chatsworth has been presided over by the same family for more than 450 years. Here, Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire tells the story of the glorious, superbly-kept estate that surrounds it. With her husband, the 11th Duke of Devonshire, the Duchess was responsible for Chatsworth for 53 years, and was deeply involved with all aspects of the estate, from major decisions on farming policy to choosing the furniture for the bedrooms above the pub. The house, of course, is what the 450,000 visitors make a bee-line for each year, but countless more come to walk in the park. There are over 450 houses on the 35,000-acre estate, as well as an untold numbers of architectural curiosities, bridges and byres, mills, milestones and a mortuary, turrets and troughs; much more is also man-made: lakes, forests, and even the course and height of the river. Many within a couple of miles of the house were inspired by the imagination of one of the dukes. It is these that the Duchess describes, weaving her tales around an album of specially-commissioned photographs. Recounting facts and fables, she takes the reader on four fascinating walks, as gripping from an armchair as they are in the open air.
