Chatsworth House

Chatsworth House is a palatial country house built for the First, Fourth and Sixth Dukes of Devonshire. The south wing was constructed between 1687 and 1689 by William Talman. The east front followed in 1689 to 1691, also by Talman, then the west front from 1700 to 1703, and the north front between 1705 and 1707 by Thomas Archer. James Paine carried out alterations and additions from 1756 to 1760, most of which were subsequently replaced by further alterations and additions including the north wing between 1820 and 1842 by Jeffrey Wyatt, later known as Sir Jeffrey Wyatville. The house blends Baroque and Neo-classical styles.

The building is constructed of sandstone ashlar, mostly local stone, with other stones and marbles used for decoration. The roofs are hidden behind parapets. The plan basically preserves that of the previous Elizabethan house, consisting of four ranges around a courtyard, with a long north-east wing that includes a return range to the south and a wall enclosing a long entrance courtyard. The house has three floors, with the ground floor treated as a basement due to the fall of the land. The north wing is of one storey over a basement.

South Front

The south front has twelve bays arranged as 3-6-3, with a rusticated basement and two upper floors of equal height. Advanced end pavilions have giant fluted Ionic pilasters. There is a full entablature with carving to the frieze of the pavilions and a bold inscription reading CAVENDO TUTUS across the centre. The balustrade was added in 1693 and urns in 1701. The basement has segment-headed glazing bar sashes and in the centre a double return flight staircase, which is a replacement of 1837 by Wyatville. The first and second floors have twelve glazing bar sashes in moulded architraves with stepped keyblocks.

East Front

The east front has 1-8-1 bays and continues the rusticated basement, entablature, balustrade and urns. There are segment-headed sashes to the ground floor and glazing bar sashes in keyed moulded architraves to the two upper floors. The end bays are set back and flanked by paired giant pilasters. Wyatville altered this front in 1823, removing a row of attic windows and refacing the whole front.

West Front

The west front, originally the entrance front, has 3-3-3 bays. The centre three bays are advanced and pedimented, supported on four fluted Ionic attached columns. The outer bays have giant fluted Ionic pilasters. The rusticated basement has segment-headed glazing bar sashes and a central flat-arched entrance with moulded architrave. Above are two tiers of glazing bar sashes in moulded architraves with stepped keyblocks, the centre and upper ones decorated with relief carving. There is a complete entablature with carved frieze, and carving also in the pediment. A balustraded parapet with urns crowns the front. Garlands surround the centre windows. The carving was executed by Nadauld and by Samuel Watson.

North Front

The north front has 3-5-3 bays, with the centre five forming a shallow curve and rising taller than the rest. It has a rusticated basement and giant fluted Corinthian pilasters to the centre bow, with glazing bar sashes in moulded architraves. Wyatville altered this facade, and his north wing abuts it. He altered the fenestration of the centre part, removing attic windows and making the pilasters fluted.

Internal Courtyard

The internal courtyard has elevations of five and seven bays, mostly in their present form as altered by Wyatville. There are plain pilasters with carved trophies by Watson. Top floor windows have alternately triangular and segmental pedimented architraves. Wyatville replaced an open colonnade on the south side.

North Wing

The north wing has a north elevation of 1-5-5-5-1 bays, followed by the orangery of 2-5-2 bays. Of the first part, the middle and end bays are divided by plain pilasters and have solid parapets with urns rather than balustraded parapets. The rusticated basement has segment-headed glazing bar sashes and glazing bar sashes in moulded architraves above. The orangery has the five middle bays advanced and divided by plain pilasters, with large casement windows. A balustraded parapet, dated 1827, crowns this section.

The wing terminates with a three by six bay pavilion and belvedere, rising to four storeys. There are entablatures between storeys, glazing bar sashes in moulded architraves, and the corner bays have plain pilasters. The belvedere has open colonnades on all sides. A lower pavilion lies beyond.

Return Range and Gateway

The return range to the west has gateways and entrance lodges. This is a tripartite composition with three round-arched carriageways. The centre is flanked by paired Tuscan Doric columns, with a triglyph frieze, entablature and parapet, partly balustraded. It is flanked by glazing bar sashes in moulded architraves and rusticated advanced end bays, with a partly balustraded parapet. The central gates are re-set and date from the late 17th century by Jean Tijou. A wall to the south encloses the entrance courtyard, with statues on pedestals.

Interior

North Entrance Hall

The north entrance hall was converted from a kitchen by James Paine. It has Tuscan Doric columns with triglyphs. Wyatville replaced the chimneypieces and widened the staircase.

North Corridor

The north corridor was enclosed and altered by Wyatville.

Painted Hall

The Painted Hall is of two-storey height. The ceilings and walls were painted by Laguerre, assisted by Ricard, in 1694. Stone carvings are by Samuel Watson. The staircase dates from 1911 to 1912 by W H Romaine-Walker.

South Range

The south range commences with private apartments. One room has an early 18th-century chimneypiece, another has early 19th-century painted panels in the window reveals. The Oak Room has panelling and twisted columns of around 1700, brought from Germany by the Sixth Duke.

Chapel

The chapel in the south-west corner is of two storeys, with an east gallery. It has cedar panelling with limewood carvings by Samuel Watson. There is a sumptuous Baroque alabaster reredos designed by Cibber and carved by Watson, completed in 1694. Walls and ceilings were painted by Laguerre.

West Side

On the west side are the west stairs with an iron balustrade of 1702 by John Gardom, with wrought iron panels on the landings by Tijou. The ceiling is painted by James Thornhill. The west entrance hall has Grisaille painting. The Leather Room and Lower Library were redecorated in 1839 by Crace. The ground floor of the north wing contains service rooms.

First Floor

The first floor has mostly private apartments, taking in the upper half of the chapel and hall, except for the north wing. On the south side are private dining and drawing rooms, basically early 18th century but redone in the 1780s by John Carr. The dining room was altered by Wyatville. In the west wing the centre bedroom was originally a vestibule and has late 17th-century panelling. Other rooms have delicate late 18th-century plasterwork. The Duchess's dressing room ceiling is by Joseph Palfreyman, 1775. The Red Velvet Room has a chimneypiece by Kent.

On the north side is the Library, made in 1832 by Wyatville with woodwork and fittings by Armstrong and Siddons. It has a late 17th-century ceiling with painting by Verrio. The Ante-Library by Wyatville has a ceiling painting by Hayter. To the north is the suite of rooms in Wyatville's north wing: the Dome Room, the Great Dining Room with segmental arched coffered ceiling and chimneypiece by Westmacott the Younger and Sievier. The Sculpture Gallery is lit by three lantern skylights. At the north end are ormolu capitals to the columns by Delafontaine of Paris, bas reliefs by Thorwaldsen and a collection of neo-classical sculpture.

Second Floor

The second floor contains the state rooms along the south wing. The Great Staircase was designed by Talman in 1689 to 1690, with a ceiling by Verrio, statues and doorcases by Cibber, and balustrade by Tijou. The state Dining Room, Drawing Room, Music Room and Bedroom fill the south side. They have painted ceilings by Verrio, Laguerre and Ricardi and a profusion of wood carving by the London carvers Lobb, Davis and Young, assisted by Watson. The rooms were decorated between 1689 and 1699, but only the Dining Room survives in its original state.

In the centre of the west wing is the Sabine Bedroom, originally a lobby, with uninterrupted illusionist painting over ceiling and walls by Thornhill, 1708. In the north wing are smaller family rooms and in the east wing are the Queen of Scots Rooms, a suite of rooms redone by Wyatville around 1830. The oak stairs between ground and first floor are by Wyatville, 1823 to 1824.

At the end of Wyatville's wing is the Theatre, designed in 1833 as a banqueting chamber. The painted ceiling panels of around 1700 by Cheron and Thornhill were originally in the Library.