Chatsworth Re-Opens in March to Unveil New Interiors, New Treasures and New Displays
Chatsworth Re-Opens in March to Unveil New Interiors, New Treasures and New Displays
14 March to 23 December 2010
Chatsworth, home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, opens its doors in March 2010 to reveal the most significant facelift since the 6th Duke's alterations in the 1830s. Visitors will see more of the Derbyshire stately home than ever before with new gallery spaces, access to the once private stone courtyard, far fewer stairs and new lift access to all three floors.
After years of painstaking work and restoration, funded by the Chatsworth House Trust, a new visitor route runs through the Derbyshire stately home, including elegant new displays celebrating the legendary 17th century Duchess Georgiana, rare treasures from the vaults, and a new exhibition honouring the 90th birthday of Deborah Devonshire, the present Dowager Duchess and the last surviving Mitford sister.
Parts of the outside of the 300-year-old building have also been painstakingly restored for the first time, under the continuing £14 million masterplan project to reveal sparklingly clean stonework.
The Duke of Devonshire said: "This is a very exciting year for us as we start to reap the rewards of this extensive repair and renovation project to ensure Chatsworth is enjoyed by many future generations. The improvements to the visitor route make it easier to view the fantastic interiors with hundreds of skilled contractors and teams of experts from lighting designers to furniture conservators and silk weavers involved in the work. We're also delighted that the new spaces created enable us to show many wonderful pieces that haven't been on view to visitors before, and to mark my mother's 90th birthday with a special exhibition rightly celebrating her remarkable life and achievements. Even for someone who has been before, a visit this year will be a revelation."
One of the undoubted highlights inside the house will be the special exhibition - Celebrating Deborah Devonshire - being staged in honour of the 90th birthday of the Dowager Duchess, marking the nine eventful decades of her life and illustrating her many interests and achievements. Personally curated by the Dowager herself, the exhibition will be full of fascinating personal material and images offering an insight into her life and work, from her childhood in Oxfordshire and marriage, her friendships with people as diverse as Lucian Freud, Evelyn Waugh, Jack Kennedy, Tom Stoppard and Alan Titchmarsh, to her many years of public service, and current well-earned status as a best-selling author and national treasure.
Original letters between the sisters, dance cards, early diaries and a pair of her ice skates represent her younger years with Lucian Freud portraits, jewels and a butterfly jewel case, the Mario Testino photo shot for Vogue and an Elvis telephone forming part of the eclectic selection of items on display. Well known for being a fashion icon, the Dowager has chosen a selection of her couture dresses and the coronation robe she wore to the Queen's coronation in 1953, made originally for Duchess Georgiana in the 18th century.
Other highlights in the house will include a spectacular display of family portraits spanning 450 years hung on the newly restored Oak Stairs. A newly acquired full-length portrait of King William III, the monarch who conferred the Dukedom on the 1st Duke, and for whose intended visit the State Apartment was built, will also appear for the first time, and this contrasts with the significant new commission of a video portrait of Laura Burlington, the Duke's daughter in law, from the eminent artist, Michael Craig-Martin.
Chatsworth is also bringing out a rare selection of Treasures from the Vaults, including jewellery worn by generations of Devonshire women, such as a magnificent diamond tiara, sapphire brooch and the opulent Devonshire Parure, a seven-piece set of jewellery created for the wife of the 6th Duke's nephew, to wear in Moscow at the coronation of the Czar Alexander II in 1856.
The life and tastes of the famous Duchess Georgiana and her husband are reflected in new permanent displays of portraits, furniture and works of art they commissioned or acquired, many not seen by visitors before.
All of these magnificent new displays are complemented by a new audio visual guide, new guidebook, and new daily story telling by the friendly guides. For more information, visit www.chatsworth.org
Ends
Notes to editors
• Previews, interviews and features can be arranged upon request
• Photography relating to the Masterplan, Dowager exhibition and Treasures from the Vault also available
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Liz Bee (lizb@redbrickcommunications.com)
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