Part of the Ilkeston Cam "Days Out" Series

Chatsworth House
w/e 28 October 2007
All this week's pictures were taken with a Kodak DX6490

I was pleasantly surprised to learn there are no restrictions, unlike many similar places, on photography at Chatsworth provided the resulting images are not used commercially. Credit for this must go to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire and the Cavendish family in general whose coat of arms can be seen above.
Damien Hurst's "The Virgin Mother" standing outside Chatsworth House ....	.... is a stark contrast with the artistry in the Hall seen immediately after entering.
Ropes and strategically placed guides direct visitors up and down staircases and through ...	... high ceilinged rooms, passages and galleries all sumptuously decorated with artwork.
Several of the rooms seemed quite dark but large windows afforded views to the Cascade in the east ...	... and the Emperor Fountain to the south. I suspect the rooms were kept dark to help preserve the artifacts.
There are many displays in the House including this dinner service of Berlin Porcelain, circa 1780.	The decorative insects painted on the underside of the plates conceal faults in the porcelain.
Many pictures grace the walls but two in particular caught my eye and captured the atmosphere of Chatsworth well. This one by Thomas Smith of Derby (died 1767) shows Chatsworth from the south-west in the 1740s.	Penrhos College in Wales was taken over by the Government during the Second World War the girls were moved to Chatsworth. Edward Halliday (1902 - 1984) depicts a scene so evocative of those years in his "Chatsworth In Wartime".
The Chapel in Chatsworth House was built and decorated for the First Duke of Devonshire between 1688 and 1693. The room is panelled in cedar wood	The altarpiece was carved by Samuel Watson from locally mined alabaster to a design by Caius Gabriel Cibber who carved the figures of Faith and Justice on each side.
And so it goes on, room after room of grandeur but none more splendid than the Great Dining Room that was designed for the Sixth Duke in 1832 by Sir Jeffry Wyattville. Silver on the table includes pieces by Paul Storr (1799 - 1872) and Robert Garrard (1793 - 1881).	Near the end of the tour is the Sculpture Gallery full of statues of animals and partially clad human figures but at the far end of the gallery is an unusual modern piece by apprentices from the Derby works of Rolls Royce. It is the fan from an RB-211 jet engine and dates from 1998.
The final room of the tour through the House, as can be seen above is very popular. It acts as a shop where all manner of quality gifts, souvenirs, calendars and books to relive a visit to Chatsworth may be purchased.	My overall impression from this visit was one of being slightly overwhelmed. There is so much to see and take in but I suppose that is why so many people return again and again to savour the joys of the place.
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