Sponsored by
Curtain up on Chatsworth £14m facelift
THE BIGGEST facelift since the 1830s will be unveiled at Chatsworth House when the stately home reopens next month.
A 14million restoration project is underway at the 300-year-old building, home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire.
Now visitors will get the chance to see more of the house than ever before with new gallery spaces, access to a once-private stone courtyard and new lifts to all three floors.
A rare selection of treasures from the vaults, including jewellery worn by generations of Devonshire women, such as a magnificent diamond tiara, sapphire brooch and the opulent Devonshire Parure, will also be on display.
The Duke of Devonshire said: "This is a very exciting year for us as we start to reap the rewards of this extensive repair and renovation project to ensure Chatsworth is enjoyed by many future generations."
After years of painstaking restoration, funded by the Chatsworth House Trust, a new visitor route runs through the house.
Highlights include new displays celebrating the legendary 17th century Duchess Georgiana and a new exhibition honouring the 90th birthday of Dowager Duchess Deborah Devonshire – the last surviving Mitford sister.
A display of family portraits spanning 450 years will also be on show and a newly acquired full-length portrait of King William III, the monarch who conferred the Dukedom on the 1st Duke, will appear for the first time, as well as a new commission of a video portrait of Laura Burlington, the Duke's daughter-in-law, from the eminent artist, Michael Craig-Martin.
Parts of the outside of the building have also been painstakingly restored for the first time since the sixth Duke's alterations as part of the multi-million masterplan, to reveal sparklingly clean stonework.
The Duke added: "The improvements make it easier to view the fantastic interiors with hundreds of skilled contractors and teams of experts from lighting designers to furniture conservators and silk weavers involved in the work.
"We're also delighted that the new spaces created enable us to show many wonderful pieces that haven't been on view to visitors before, and to mark my mother's 90th birthday with a special exhibition rightly celebrating her remarkable life and achievements. Even for someone who has been before, a visit this year will be a revelation."
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Bakewell
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -4 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: -1 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: South west
