Chatsworth House

Chatsworth House
The River Derwent, bridge and house at Chatsworth
Location within Derbyshire
General information
Type	House
Architectural style	English Baroque, Italianate
Location	near Bakewell, Derbyshire
Country	England
Coordinates	53°13′40″N 1°36′36″W / 53.22778°N 1.61000°W / 53.22778; -1.61000
Elevation	125 m (410 ft)
Construction started	1687
Completed	1708, with additions 1820–1840
Owner	Trustees of the Chatsworth Settlement, who lease the house to the Chatsworth House Trust.
Technical details
Floor count	5
Floor area	Main house (excluding wing): approx 81,000 sq ft
Design and construction
Architect(s)	William Talman Thomas Archer Jeffry Wyattville Joseph Paxton James Paine
Other information
Number of rooms	Approx 300
Website
www.chatsworth.org
Listed Building – Grade I
Official name	Chatsworth House
Designated	29 September 1951
Reference no.	1373871[1]

Chatsworth House is a stately home in the Derbyshire Dales, 4 miles (6.4 km) north-east of Bakewell and 9 miles (14 km) west of Chesterfield, England. The seat of the Duke of Devonshire, it has belonged to the Cavendish family since 1549. It stands on the east bank of the River Derwent, across from hills between the Derwent and Wye valleys, amid parkland backed by wooded hills that rise to heather moorland.

The house holds major collections of paintings, furniture, Old Master drawings, neoclassical sculptures and books. Chosen several times as Britain's favourite country house,^[2][3] it is a Grade I listed property from the 17th century, altered in the 18th and 19th centuries.^[1] In 2011–2012 it underwent a £14-million restoration.^[4] The owner is the Chatsworth House Trust, an independent charitable foundation formed in 1981, on behalf of the Cavendish family.^[5]