Georgiana Cavendish

This stunning portrait hangs in a gallery at Chatsworth House. It depicts Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (1757-1806), painted in 1785 by Thomas Gainsborough.

Georgiana was a socialite, style icon, author and political activist. Her own family were the Spencers (she is an ancestor of Princess Diana) and she married William, the 5th Duke of Devonshire in 1774, aged just 17. He was one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the land at the time, though emotionally reserved, serially adulterous and with little in common with his new young wife so that the marriage was difficult.

Georgiana became close friends with Lady Elizabeth Foster, who was destitute, having separated from her husband. Elizabeth came to live with them at Chatsworth and in their London home. In time she and William started an affair, thus establishing a love triangle. Whilst affairs were common, such a live-in 'ménage a trois' was unusual and gave rise to much speculation. Wives were not allowed (!) to take lovers until they had produced an heir, and Georgiana had two daughters before finally giving birth to a son. She then took a lover, Earl Grey and had an illegitimate daughter (while banished to France in exile) whom she was forced to give up to the Grey family (despite having had to raise her own husband, William's, illegitimate daughter!) Not surprisingly, the complicated arrangements of her high-profile life caused Georgina some pain and she sought consolation in an extravagant lifestyle of addictions (gambling, drink, drugs), affairs, socialising, fashion, politics and writing - gathering around her a large circle of influential literary and political figures. She died of some kind of liver complaint, aged just 48, with debts equivalent to over £3m. When these debts were revealed, the Duke is reputed to have remarked: 'Is that all?...'

After Georgiana's death the Duke married Lady Elizabeth Foster.

Georgiana's story was made into a film in 2008 : 'The Duchess' starring Keira Knightley. Such a colourful life but such a sad story really.

Chatworth's gardens

The gardens and parkland surrounding Chatsworth House are celebrated - though unfortunately far from their best when it's chucking it down with rain! The wider park was landscaped between 1760 and 1764 by 'Capability' Brown, the renowned garden creator who pioneered the 'natural' landscaping of so many of Britain's great country estates.

The gardens themselves have evolved over time. The yew maze, below, is built on the site where once stood a huge glass conservatory constructed in 1840. It required vast amounts of coal, brought in by an underground railway, to fuel the heating. During WW1, when coal was in short supply, the plants all died and eventually the building was demolished in 1920. Astonishing!

One of a number of gravity-fed waterworks in the garden, the Squirting Willow Tree Fountain is unusual and quite effective. The original was made of brass in 1695 and the present fountain is a 19th century copy. 

One of the most famous features in the garden is the 300 year old Cascade, where water tumbles down a series of steps, all of slightly different heights so that the sound changes as the water flows down. Currently the Cascade is enlivened by a buxom reclining nude sculpture, though I wasn't able to discover the artist.

Treasure house

Chatsworth House is chock full of treasures; the largest and most significant art collection in Britain apart from the Royal Collection. Much of it dates back centuries, although the current Duke and his more recent forebears have continued to commission and invest in contemporary art so that there are modern paintings and sculptures dotted around.

The gilded bronze statue, above, is a work by Damien Hirst: St Bartholomew, Exquisite Pain. Holding scissors and a scalpel, the figure has his flayed skin draped over his arm.

There are a number of paintings by Lucian Freud (1922-2011), who was a friend of the 11th Duke and painted many Cavendish family members over a period of about 20 years. (Apologies for the harsh reflection on the glass).

 I liked this painting by the Flemish painter, Cornelis de Vos (1585-1651): a portrait of the artist's daughter.

I was also astonished and intrigued by the marble sculpture below, by Raffaelle Monti (1818-1881). 'The Veiled Vestal' (Virgin) was commissioned by the 6th Duke and features Monti's trademark illusionistic veil. It looks for all the world like a piece of gauze thrown across the statue but is in fact an integral part of the marble carving.

Piles of pillows

I adored the Guest Bedrooms at Chatsworth House., so cosy and comfortable looking. These reflect the Regency style, and their decor dates from the 1830s when 'country house parties' were fashionable. They retain much of their original furnishings and hand-painted Chinese wallpapers. The guest spent their days hunting, riding, reading and playing billiards, followed by evenings of formal dinners, after which there would be music and games of charades and the men would retire to smoke. Ladies had to change their outfits several times a day. Luckily the bedrooms provided seemed very luxurious.

Perhaps a later addition but I loved the idea of a bath hidden in a cupboard.

Queen Victoria slept in this bed, when she visited with Prince Albert in 1843.

Opulence

Grand staircase in the Painted Hall, which dates from the 1680s.

You were allowed to take photographs inside Chatsworth House (no tripod, no flash) so, although the weather precluded much outdoor photography, I did take a few interiors. The public rooms can best be described as opulent: dripping with priceless paintings and antiques, ceramics, gold and silverware, tapestries and exotic carpets. Quite breathtaking! Unlike a museum that gathers collections together, this is a home full of treasure that has been passed down through generations of the Cavendish family. Everything belongs to them (now leased to the Chatsworth House Trust) and has been acquired, purchased, collected and curated throughout history. Currently the display theme is 'The Grand Tour', showcasing many priceless objects collected by family members when doing their 'grand tours' of Europe - the educational rites of passage traditionally undertaken by aristocratic young men, from the late 1600s through to the advent of mass rail travel in the 1840s.

Many of the rooms are kept dark to protect the contents from damaging sunlight and to preserve the tapestries, paintings and frescoes on the walls and ceilings.

The Dining Room, dating to the era of the 6th Duke of Devonshire in the 19th century. Princess (later Queen) Victoria attended her first formal 'adult' dinner in this room, aged 13, in 1832.

The bedroom of the State Apartments, constructed in the late 17th century by the 1st Duke of Devonshire, who received the dukedom as a reward for helping to put the Protestant William of Orange on the English throne. The State Apartments were built to welcome William and Mary, though in fact they never came to visit! They are a series of five interconnecting rooms, which were designed to be used almost like a sieve for the Royal Court, so that only the closest and most esteemed people were allowed right through to the State Bedroom and State Closet.

Chatsworth's beautiful - and very cosy - library, transformed by the 6th Duke to house his huge collections of books.

Timeless grandeur

Anyone recognise this place? It's Chatsworth House, the ancestral home of the Duke of Devonshire, in Derbyshire. My sister and I arranged to meet there for a day out. Unfortunately, even though we had had some lovely summer weather for a few days, on this day it deserted and was replaced by low cloud and torrential rain. Such a pity, as I'd been looking forward to getting some good photos of what is a very beautiful building, set in wonderful gardens and parkland.

We mostly stayed indoors, in the tea room and touring the interior, though we did have a short, soggy and muddy walk round the immediate environs of the house. This was the best photo I managed! The house is undergoing a huge renovation, outside and in, and much of it is covered in scaffolding. Furthermore, they were erecting a (rather ugly) temporary structure in the garden that looked like mushrooms a stage or bandstand, as though it might host a concert. Disappointing... I will have to pay another visit.

Do take a look at the website here for much better photos and some interesting info about the house.

PS Just seen on TV that there is a huge Country Fair there this weekend, so no doubt the preparations were related to that. Hope they have better weather than I did