For centuries, the countryside retreat of the rich and famous, the Peak District and Derbyshire now has a wonderful legacy of stately homes and gardens.
Perhaps the most magnificent and certainly the best known stately home in England, Chatsworth 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.
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.
The smaller halls of the area have a more intimate charm and have strong connections with the villages in which they are situated. 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, but also to novelist DH Lawrence and 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.
Eyam Hall is a small manor house with café and craft workshops 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 estate village of Tissington.
Click for more information on gardens in the Peak District & Derbyshire
