Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Europe Adventure: Day Eight, Part Two- Chatsworth

After leaving Lyme Park we drove through the Peak District toward Chatsworth. 


The roads were pretty good and the scenery was some of the prettiest I have ever seen in my life.








I drove right past the entrance to the big house so we had to turn around but not before going over a cool one lane stone bridge. As I drove back up the hill we were able to get a better view of Chatsworth house. 


There are the deer too!




We turned down the drive and made our way toward the house.







They have a really big parking area so we were able to quickly and easily find a place to park. 
We were still in our church style clothes and were quite cold and our dress shoes were really muddy and wet. So we took a minute in the car to change into jeans, socks, and our Converse. 
So glad we did that as it was still cold and damp outside. 

Chatsworth, as I said before, is the location used for the 2005 Pride and Prejudice Pemberley. It has also been the setting for a lot of other movies, including The Duchess which also starred Keira Knightley.
We were pretty excited as we walked through the gate and up the lane to the entrance. 



Then we started our tour of the house. 
This place is massive and there wasn't one inch of it that wasn't ornately decorated. 
The grounds were massive as well. They say the estate is the size of Washington D.C.
You could spend days exploring this place. 
We had a few hours. 


The Painted Hall:







The Oak Room: 




A small model of Chatsworth inside the Oak Room...



The Chapel: 



The 17th century chairs in the chapel ...



Every ceiling was painted. It was quite incredible. 
The Great Stairs....


The State Drawing Room: 


Looking out the window....



The State Music Room: 


The above picture shows something I thought was quite cool.. 
It looked like a door was open into a hallway showing a violin hung on another door. 
But it is actually a painting of a door with a violin on it. 
 

The State Bedroom: 


The hallways were lined with sculptures, furniture, and artwork. 
This house felt more like a museum than a house. 




Some of the many bedrooms...


The Queen of Scots' dressing Room:


The Leicester Bedroom:


The multiple roomed library (my favorite part of the house of course):




We found my mom's favorite statue from Pride and Prejudice in here...









The Great Dining Room: 


It was here that Queen Victoria had her very first formal adult dinner when she was thirteen years old. 




The Sculpture Gallery:




The two lions are exact copies of the sleeping lions at St. Peter's in Rome. 
They were commissioned by the 6th Duke in 1823.



After exploring the house, we went into the Orangery where they have the gift shop. 
Amazingly I didn't get anything there. 
Then we walked the grounds for a while. 


"Mrs. Darcy, Mrs. Darcy, Mrs. Darcy..."










The house was under construction while we were there so you can see the scaffolding. 




This house was truly amazing to see. 
I told my mom that it didn't feel like a home, though. 
It really did feel like a museum. You can tell that the family, through the years, have really loved art in all of its forms. I found it hard to believe that they still live there. But they do. 
After exploring the grounds, we stopped in at one of the little cafe's and got chicken pasty's and chips. 
They were really good.
We sat in the car and ate while looking at the surrounding scenery and then drove off taking a few more pictures as we went. 




Next up: Arriving at our cottage in the Cotswolds

8 comments:

Seth and Julie said...

You are definitely committed to your love of Pride and Prejudice!

People live there? I agree that it looks way too museum-y. Cool to look at, but I can't imagine living there.

Also, you may not like this since I know you didn't love the look of Wisconsin, but so much of the scenery reminds me of Wisconsin...the trees, the lakes, the hills. The combination of the scenery and architecture puts it over the top though. Somehow Target doesn't look as pretty against this background as castles, cathedrals and sprawling estates.

Cheryl said...

I can see that. I actually did like the way Wisconsin looked! Especially out in the countryside. I just didn't like the summer humidity. :)
I can see that. In person I would say it looked less like it than in some of the pictures. There were definite similarities though and with a lot of New England. It was the kind of beauty where we were constantly both saying, "This is so beautiful". The kind that doesn't translate to pictures.

Seth and Julie said...

Sorry...didn't mean to accuse you erroneously. As for humidity, I think you just lived on the wrong side of town because it is never hot by the lake. Anyway...you know I will always love on WI and the more of it I see the more I love it. I was so excited to see Colorado and Montana when we drove across the country a couple years ago. I had always heard how pretty they were but I thought Utah was prettier than Colorado and Montana had nothing on Wisconsin. When we drove over the Mississippi and into La Crosse it took my breath away and I had to ask Seth what amazing state we were in. I was so proud to learn that it was WI. England looks older and more mysterious if that makes sense. Some of those trees look almost creepy and everything is a bit shrouded in fog. It creates such a lovely and intriguing image, but I still thought there were hints of WI.

Cheryl said...

I totally get it. Wisconsin will always have a really special place in our hearts! I plan on coming back to visit sometime, hopefully not too long from now. I really miss so much about living there and being so close to Chicago.
I REALLY miss it every September when we don't have the farm to go apple picking to. We tried it here but so far have not found anywhere worth going a second time.

LeShel said...

I'm thinking it's been too long since I watched Pride and Prejudice! Seeing these pictures and reading your words have me pulled to an evening alone with Pride and Prejudice and then North and South.

So glad you were able to make this trip happen! Also, I love the relationship you have with your mom. So amazing.

Cheryl said...

Nice! I hope you do watch them!:) Have you seen Austenland? I'm in the mood for that one today.
Thanks. My mom and I definitely have an awesome friendship. It is so fun to have someone that likes all the same things as me for the most part.

The Kings said...

I do love hanging out with you, Cheryl, and taking trips together!! It is most excellent! And this place was AMAZING! I was so glad I got to see the sculpture of the lady with the veil! I "fell in love with it" when I saw the movie!

Cheryl said...

I'm so glad it was really there!