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A Day Out At:

23 June 2002

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Chatsworth House is the ancestral home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. It is located in Derbyshire, central England between the towns of Buxton and Chesterfield.  The house was built on land purchased by Sir William Cavendish in 1549 for £600. Sir William started construction of the house in 1552, but he did not live to see its completion, as he died in 1557. His widow, Bess of Hardwick completed the building work, and bequeathed the house to her son, Henry Cavendish. Henry sold the house to his younger brother William, who became the 1st Earl of Devonshire in 1618. Nearby is the Peak District National Park.

1. Entrance to Main House 2. View of private gardens from State Room 3. Corridor containing a Turkish Barge (present to the Duke from a Sultan) and also contains two Egyptian Statues one of which is images below. The dark interior is to protect the precious artifacts from the sunlight.

A statue is a statue to me until I saw this one of a Vestal Maiden. The face is quite remarkable. The veil is actually part of the carving and has to be one of the best I have ever seen - it looks so real, even in marble.

1. The God Sekhnet - Egyptian God of War 2. Childs Playroom with dolls and a "streamlined" broomstick!

1. Statue of a Wolf at the entrance to the House. 2. View through rear State Room Window of Fountains. 3. A remarkable sculpture of a sleeping lion - life size. 4. 100 Steps in Grounds. 5. Looking back down the steps.

1. Pathway in Grounds. 2. The Maze. 3. Weeping Willow (Fountain Sculpture)

1. Childs Playthings (this by my daughter, she took a better image than mine) 2. One of State Rooms 3. Harpsichord in Music Room
4. Sue and I try to determine where in the grounds we were!

1. Table presented to Duke & Duchess by Tsar Nicholas. 2. Turkish Barge (again by my daughter). 2. Chatsworth House (Rear)