Former Stables At Chatsworth House

The former stables at Chatsworth House, built between 1758 and 1763 by James Paine for the Fourth Duke of Devonshire, are now used as a restaurant, dwellings, and storage space. The building is constructed of coursed squared rock-faced sandstone with ashlar dressings, and has Westmorland slate roofs with various ashlar stacks. It comprises four ranges around a square courtyard.

The main west front has a symmetrical design of 1-3-1-3-1 bays. The impressive entrance bay features four attached columns with thick bands of cyclopic rustication, supporting the entablature and cornice, and a blind attic with the Duke’s coat of arms carved by Henry Watson, all set under a pedimented gable. Above the entrance is a clock and bell turret in the form of a domed lantern with round-arched openings on each side. A tall, round-arched rusticated entrance arch is flanked by round-arched glazing bar sashes with half-domed niches above, all within rectangular openings with lintels of long voussoirs. Further out, three-bay round-arched rusticated blind arcades contain glazing bar sashes under flat arches with pronounced voussoirs, with small segment headed glazing bar sashes above. The square end pavilions echo this design, with a round-arched bay flanked by niches and open pediments. The north elevation continues the same theme, with an additional four bays to the east. The plainer south elevation, which faces the gardens, features rusticated round arches only to the centre and pavilion bays.

The courtyard has a rusticated open ground floor arcade of round arches, above which is ashlar with small glazing bar sashes. Tripartite entrance features are marked by all-over rustication and pairs of ball finials above the cornice. The gardens and park are separately listed at Grade I.