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Historic Homes in the Peak District & Derbyshire

Chatsworth House and GardensChatsworth House and Gardens
 

PERHAPS THE MOST MAGNIFICENT and certainly the best known stately home in England, Chatsworth (above) is home to a private art collection which represents 4,000 years of European culture and craftsmanship, from ancient Greece to modern work by British artists.

The family home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, everything about Chatsworth is on an impressive scale, from the sumptuous interiors to the breathtaking gardens and the 1,000 acre, ‘Capability’ Brown-designed estate is one of the most beautiful and historic man-made landscapes in Britain.
 
Haddon Hall, near Bakewell, is a totally unspoilt medieval manor house and for that reason is often the first choice as a film location for period dramas, which have included the recent cinematic release of Pride and Prejudice, as well as in Henry VIII, Moll Flanders and the BBC’s 2006 adaptation of Jane Eyre.
 
Hardwick HallHardwick HallBess of Hardwick, the Countess of Shrewsbury, was the second wealthiest, second most powerful woman in Elizabethan England after the Queen herself and amassed a huge fortune through a series of marriages and astute business deals. Builder of the original Chatsworth House, her lasting legacy to the region is the impressive Hardwick Hall (left), one of the finest and most unchanged examples of Elizabethan architecture in England.
 
The National Trust has three superb properties all situated within a 10 mile radius of Derby. The Robert Adam-designed Kedleston Hall, home of the Curzon family, boasts some of the finest unaltered Adam interiors in England, while the magnificent state rooms are home to a stunning collection of paintings and furniture. The extensive surrounding parkland, also designed by Adam, is notable for its series of lakes and cascades, fishing pavilion and bridge.
 
For a real taste of life below stairs, you can take a 'Meet the Butler' tour at the magnificent 17th century Sudbury Hall, where some of the Hall’s sumptuous interiors were used in the BBC’s recent production of Pride and Prejudice, while the National Trust’s excellent Museum of Childhood is also based here.
 
Calke AbbeyCalke AbbeySet amidst historic parkland to the south of Derby is the baroque mansion, Calke Abbey, right – a great day out if you’re with kids as it is considered the Trust’s most child-friendly and fun property! With interiors largely unchanged since the late 1800s, the Abbey’s highlights also include an intriguing natural history collection as well as underground tunnels, secret garden and restored Orangery.

Further north is Lyme Hall, another National Trust-owned Palladian mansion set in wonderful grounds and parkland – famously seen in the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice, where Mr Darcy emerges dripping from the lake! And if you’re on the Darcy trail, book a carriage ride with Red House Stables and Working Carriage Museum which provided the carriages for Pride and Prejudice – you may even get to sit in Mr Darcy’s seat! 
 
Renishaw Hall was inspirational not only to its famous literary owners, the Sitwell family, Renishaw Hall was inspirational not only to its famous literary owners, the Sitwell family,  
 
Eyam HallEyam HallThe smaller halls of the area have a more intimate charm and have strong connections with the villages in which they are situated. Eyam Hall (left) is a family manor house with courtyard café and craft workshops set in the village of Eyam - famous for its connection with the Black Death. Tissington Hall, home to the Fitzherbert family for almost 500 years, is a Jacobean manor house set in the pretty estate village of Tissington.
 
Home to the Sitwell family since the early 17th century and set in acres of stunning gardens and woodland, Renishaw Hall was inspirational not only to its literary owners, Dame Edith, Sir Osbert and Sacheverell Sitwell, as well as novelist DH Lawrence, but also to major British artists John Piper and Rex Whistler, all of whom were drawn to the Hall’s grandeur.

Melbourne Hall, seven miles south of Derby in the village of Melbourne, was the family home of the first Prime Minister to Queen Victoria, William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, who gave his name to the city in Australia.