Chatsworth House
Chatsworth House
4.5
Art GalleriesHistoric SitesPoints of Interest & Landmarks
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
About
Chatsworth, home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, is set in the heart of the Peak District in Derbyshire, on the banks of the river Derwent. Explore the historic house for fascinating stories and one of Europe's most significant art collections. In the garden, discover water features, giant sculptures and beautiful flowers set in Britain's most stunning and surprising country estate. Or come face to face with our farm animals in our working farmyard and enjoy adventurous fun in the playground. Furthermore, with holiday cottages and hotels, shops and restaurants, including Britain's best farm shop, you can really make the most of your time with us.
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  • Kathryn P
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Hugely successful visit
    Wonderful collection of art and furniture with a significant display of contemporary pieces and recent commissions which blend in so well. Sculpture both in the house and garden was outstanding. Loved it all! Very Knowledgeable and helpful staff.
    Visited March 2023
    Travelled with friends
    Written 20 March 2023
  • whiteleybob
    Fareham, United Kingdom172 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Well worth a visit.
    Awesome house and history with amazing decoration furniture and paintings. All the staff were incredibly welcoming knowledgeable and attentive. Love the uniforms too. Garden looks fantastic but probably not at its best in March. On the other hand the House wasn’t too busy so we never felt rushed
    Visited March 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 23 March 2023
  • David S
    Manchester, United Kingdom30 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great day out rain or shine
    I have visited Chatsworth three times, the first after a trip to the village of Bakewell, just to see the farmyard. This is great value at around £7 which gets you parking, access to some grounds, and access to the restaurants and shops. The second visit we paid over thirty pounds (including gift aid) and did everything. This most recent time we felt we didn't need to see the house again, so paid just over £20 (including gift aid) for the garden, and farmyard. The house is beautiful, although purists might resent the modern art which is added to the house. You cannot imagine you are walking through the past, although they are trying to keep it relevant. The gardens are beautiful with greenhouses, rockeries, water features and the amazing views. The farmyard is extremely well run, opportunities depending on the time of year, to hold baby lambs and goats, and to hand feed goats, sheep and chickens. The farm shop is excellent, the quality of the cheese especially, and baked goods is amazing. The formal restaurant has a very limited menu, but also does afternoon tea, the food is excellent, but usually only 3-4 dishes are available and for a pescatarian the one fish dish had prosciutto ham wrapped around it so was no good for me. The informal dining room makes amazing sandwiches, soup and quiche, and cakes. Overall a super day out. Pros - the staff are all excellent, the environment is clean and the attractions are faultless Cons - the price can be high, the day flies by quickly, and the main restaurant needs a couple more options on the menu.
    Visited March 2023
    Written 30 March 2023
  • Michael T
    20 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A huge house packed with beautiful artwork, with a lift that makes the whole building accessible to everyone.
    We spent more than two hours touring the house which is filled with beautiful things, including new artwork that has been blended in very well with the old. The room guides were extremely helpful and informative and the lift means that the whole building is accessible for everyone. There is a good choice of quality food in the café and some lovely things in the two large shops.
    Visited March 2023
    Travelled with friends
    Written 31 March 2023
  • SuttonJewell
    Birmingham, United Kingdom24 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great Estate - Unimpressive House
    The setting and grounds of Chatsworth House are beautiful and definitely worth a visit. We enjoyed lunch in the restaurant which was very nice and good value for money. The visit to house itself was spoilt for us by the prevalence of too many displays of modern art. When I visit an historic building, I want to see it in its full glory with furniture and artwork of its period. The prevalence of modern artwork spoilt the occasion for us and, whilst we would visit the estate again in the future, would definitely give the house a miss.
    Visited October 2022
    Travelled with friends
    Written 1 April 2023
  • Herjinder H
    Rugby, United Kingdom28 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Afternoon tea at Chatsworth
    This was a special family event for a 50th birthday. The restaurant was booked on the day requested but the staff at Chatsworth did manage to fit us in for afternoon tea. It was a truly lay amazing experience. So much detail went into all the courses and the service was exceptional. Loved the Wedgewood service, it was all presented so well. Chatsworth is well worth a visit, the grounds are well maintained and lovely views.
    Visited April 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 1 April 2023
  • 111aor
    367 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great Day Out!
    Booked and visited Chatsworth today after 30 years absence. Amazing house and gardens - so much to see! Expensive but worth the cost. A big shout out to Joy the Guide - made our visit special. Informative and witty!!!
    Visited April 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 3 April 2023
  • Elizabeth B
    24 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Phenomenal!!
    Wow, wow and just wow! We hadn't planned on visiting as we were going to a forge today but found out it was closed. We had a look and decided to book it online for the same day. I'm so glad we did because this place is phenomenal! The beauty of it, the stunning landscape, the intricate detail on all the art and pieces it's just out of this world! And so many rooms to explore it is literally a diamond. Myself and my husband really enjoyed our visit today and the sunshine made it even better. I have no words to describe the beauty of it. It is a masterpiece and I will be recommending to everyone I know. Service was priceless and the tour guides were knowledgeable. Will definitely return with family members.
    Visited April 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 4 April 2023
  • Owen O
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Amazing guides … people not brochures!
    Had a wonderful morning looking around the house. Amazing paintings, sculptors and other fascinating antiquities in every room complimented by some fantastic contemporary modern sculptures. Although there are few labelled objects (apart from the modern exhibition in situ) the Chatsworth guides are very knowledgable and happy to explain all you need to know … and more. A special mention to one of them, Kath Godfrey, who has incredible knowledge and gave us some really interesting facts and stories about Joseph Paxton and his achievements as head gardener, engineer, innovator. An amazing fellow! Thanks for the insight Kath
    Visited April 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 5 April 2023
  • anajsmyth
    Kenilworth, United Kingdom6 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    If you liked Pride and Prejudice you’ll love this.
    Finding Mr Darcy’s bust in the shop😀 with a note saying No kissing! Made my day. Excellent grounds, very knowledgeable staff and the interior is so beautiful that I’m not sure whether it’s better to be looking out of the window into the gardens or looking around the room.
    Visited April 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 7 April 2023
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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles9,517 reviews
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Lee
Liverpool, UK635 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Friends
I have always really wanted to visit this venue but have never managed to make it. We decided to come on the opening weekend of the Christmas experience. I was so excited to finally see the house as I have done a lot of research prior to my visit. The house looked so beautiful decorated for Christmas, but unfortunately there was no audio guide during the Christmas season which was a huge blow for me to be honest as it was the history that I was really going for. The house was amazing though. The Christmas market was very festive and really lovely, we enjoyed a couple of hours meandering around all of the stalls. All staff members are really friendly. It did feel a bit like a convey about moving through the house so, there was no time to really spend enjoying each room Before you moved onto the next. I would really like to return in the spring or summer when the audio guide is working.
Written 9 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

chezbb
Cambridge, UK12 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Family
House and gardens closed until mid March but we knew that before we visited.
Plenty of places to explore across the grounds and the kids loved running around!
Cafe was £55 for sandwiches, crisps, cakes and drinks for 4 so not too bad, adult sandwiches were tasty and the soup looked lovely!
Had promised kids the adventure playground which is on the farm site so we had to pay for entry, £24 for all of us (kids £8 adults £4)
Found this quite overpriced for what it was, feeding the animals was fun (extra) but limited to goats and sheep, queue to hold a Guinea pig was massive and so gave that a miss. the main lure was the adventure playground unfortunately most of this is closed until Spring. Only the younger kids play area is available and my two got bored quite quickly.
Save this for when the playground is fully open!
Written 24 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Michael
Warrington, UK5 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Family
The Fall of the House of Chatsworth - second Christmas visit (9th December 2023)

This was our routine second Christmas visit to Chatsworth which when open we have done as a family tradition at Christmas since 2006 and we have also paid many visits to the house and garden over the years in the open season since our first ever visit. We always book the two Christmas visits in advance and after our first unsatisfactory visit for Christmas 2023 we were very apprehensive and not particularly looking forward to a repeat performance but we had already bought the tickets at £34 x 4 = £136.

So on the day it was wet and cold and windy again and we were delighted that you had read my previous comments and found the gates were opened before 10.00 so we were able to walk straight in and be processed. We were also pleased to be greeted by a friendly and smiling guide with a warm “Welcome to Chatsworth”.

The fire in the grate in the entrance hall was positively roaring away, it looked, felt and smelt gorgeous just as it used to be and should be, again you have followed my previous comments and because the gates were opened before 10 there was no crush upon entering the house, unfortunately that it is where the positives all came to an end.

As there was no crush moving through the house the emptiness was highlighted and far more obvious.

No Christmas spirit
No friendliness
No personality
No warmth
No music
No magic
No Wow! factor
No creativity
No value for money

Just Christmas trees, wreaths and garlands with rooms numbered 1 to 24 for Advent.

Numbering rooms and trees from 1 to 24 may be a “concept” but it is not a theme.

The house was cold, dark and gloomy and very empty, there seemed to be so many small decorative ceramic and bronze items missing that were once on the side tables and just generally around the place. It was as if the house had been burgled and all the easily portable items removed.

Most of the guides did speak but not really with enthusiasm and some simply looked away, we got the feeling that they were there to watch us and make sure we didn’t get too close, touch or take anything.

I had puzzled at the time of our visit why the Christmas Wish trees were so devoid of wishes, previous years they were heavily laden with tags by December but not this time.
Thanks to another contributing visitor I now know why.
Apparently they are removed by a guide shortly after being tied to the tree by the visitor and not discreetly removed at that but in front of other visitors as well. Very indiscreet and very disrespectful.
The point of the trees is to leave the wishes there to be granted on Christmas Eve and it was always a delight to see the fully laden trees on the second and on occasion in the past a third visit just before the big day itself.

Shame on you Chatsworth for such despicable behaviour and definitely not in the Christmas spirit. You should be ashamed of yourselves. I will say it again, shame on you!

We have been regular and loyal visitors to Chatsworth throughout the years since 2006 and not only at Christmas but throughout the year and I never thought I would witness the decline and fall of what was such a warm, friendly and welcoming family home. It is now a cold, unfriendly, unwelcoming and soulless museum.

How can you have gone so wrong?

If you can’t do it properly don’t do it at all.

Just pop along to Thornbridge Hall and see how welcome you are made to feel to a family home dressed for Christmas. All the staff are warm, welcoming and friendly, mince pies and mulled wine, full guided tour during which we had the pleasure of being joined by Emma, the owner.

I know where we are going next Christmas and during the rest of the year and it’s not Chatsworth.

There weren’t even any Carol singers or a band or orchestra in the Stables courtyard to bring a little joy and life and Christmas spirit to the place.

You need to engage with your visitors, read the reviews and comment directly on both the good and the bad ones, thank them for the good ones and reach out to the negative ones, don’t just ignore them with disdain. You need to be told you are doing it wrong and what it is you are doing wrong and how to get it right and the best people to do that are your guests, the paying visitors, the customers or don’t you care?

Don’t hold internal meetings and workshops and talk amongst yourselves and blame everyone else and how it’s their fault and not yours and definitely don’t employ “consultants” who will charge you vast fees and tell you the blindingly obvious.

Unfortunately I don’t think you’re capable of improving, it has gone too far and the decline and fall has now reached rock bottom.

Sadly I feel that we have not only lost a long standing tradition but also a much loved friend.

O quam cito transit gloria mundi.
Written 11 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Paula J
Scotland, UK34 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Solo
I went for the Christmas decorations which I have wanted to do for many years and it didn’t disappoint. Plenty of time to walk around at your leisure and the decorations were brilliant. Outside was a lovely Christmas market.
My one criticism-the day we went it poured with rain all day and there was little shelter -the one outside coffee tent was packed and due to the weather people didn’t move, so there were no seats. No cover for Christmas market either.
Overall a great experience.
Written 6 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jane
Cowes, United Kingdom64 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Couples
Absolutely love this gem of a place. The Xmas event is fantastic and we have been every year for the last 5 years . The property is well maintained and the staff are helpful and very friendly. Gift shops are excellent
Written 11 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Phil
44 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Solo
I fell in love with this beautifully restored home when I visited earlier in 2023 as part of my 50th birthday celebrations . My only complaint then was only having just over 2 hours to view both the house and gardens; which is quite a challenge given Chatsworth’s gardens are extensive .

So I wanted to see it at Christmas . The Palace of Advent , the theme for 2023 did not disappoint and exceeded my expectations. The house was beautifully decorated in a traditional way. Purists are always going to complain about historical accuracy of Christmas decorations which is just plain silly: since Christmas trees were not commonplace in Britain until the Victorian era which is several centuries more recent than the house itself is old. Any Christmas trees are a historical anachronism as is the use of electricity :)

The illuminations in the gardens were simply stunning and extensive and certainly the best I have seen in the UK and USA. Not only were trees floodlit but you also had ambient music and changing colours as well as Christmas sculptures . A lot of it also was subtle and you needed to explore to find it . I’m sure many people created some wonderful memories against a stunning backdrop.

I also really enjoyed the projection onto the house . Starting as an advent calendar, each window opened up to a musical soundtrack , showing the content of each room as they trickled across the whole facade (musical notes for the music room ; food from the kitchen, etc). What a wonderfully creative way to showcase this magnificent house and it was visually stunning . Like myself, those around me stayed for several iterations of the display because it simply was so stunning .

Some people have complained about value for money but people are forgetting that to put on such a display will be very expensive these days. I also visited Harewood House this Christmas (same entry fee) and their “light trial” was a string of white lights suspended on a pole around a lake …

Thank you Chatsworth for making my Christmas special in 2024..I look forward to returning soon this year.
Written 8 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Marianna M
1 contribution
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Family
Very disapointed with staff attitude. Wanted to buy Guide at entrance to the house, and staff member pulled it out of my hands to buy it at the end, she moaned about me to her colleague while I was still standing next to her. Why do they keep guide books next to the entrance, if you can not buy them?! Well, not going there again
Written 31 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lydia V
Wolverhampton, UK421 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Friends
Always wanted to visit Mr Darcy’s house, at christmas it was a beautiful day out.
There was over 10 christmas trees throughout the building. They decorate with such joy and makes you feel like you stepped back in time and to a christmas village.
The gardens are large so be prepared and wear comfy shoes.
Overall would recommend to all history lovers and christmas lovers to visit
Written 30 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Wideawake
9 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Family
We have been visiting Chatsworth At Christmas for 20 years and have to say that today was the most overcrowded the House and garden have ever been. Previously staff have spaced out the visitors so that you could move through the House in comfort and actually see and take time to appreciate the rooms. This year we were just swept through in a large crowd, queuing to enter rooms and couldn’t see much when you did.

As others have said the gardens are underwhelming. The projection on the house is superb but the rest is just lit trees. Again, the crowds in the garden made it difficult to walk around comfortably and if you paused you were jostled and quickly separated from your family group which in the dark was unpleasant. The overall feeling was that it had been vastly oversold.
Written 29 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Richard N
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Couples
A total waste of money. They need to employ a proficient creative director who can come up with something more inspiring than floodlit trees. The only redeeming feature was the animated projecton on the house which could be viewed from afar or over a hedge. The house tour was average at best. Not a patch on Blenheim Palace at Christmas. Never again.
Written 28 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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