Chatsworth Through Time

Chatsworth Through Time is a series of six short films produced by the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art, in partnership with the Duke of Devonshire and the Chatsworth House Trust charity. The films explore the history, architecture, landscape, and Devonshire Collections preserved at Chatsworth.

Beginning in the Tudor Period and progressing through five hundred years to the 21st century, this series tells the story of Chatsworth and the private collection of art and artefacts gathered and preserved by seventeen generations of the Devonshire family.

Featured in the films are Alice Martin, Chatsworth's Head of the Devonshire Collection, and Dr Alex Hodby, formerly Senior Curator of Programme.

Episode One: The Tudor House

Episode One: The Tudor House begins in the sixteenth century with the story of Bess of Hardwick, an extraordinary businesswoman whose marriage to Sir William Cavendish established Chatsworth House, and who later married the 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, jailer of Mary, Queen of Scots. Bess’s business acumen and connections to the highest echelons of English nobility secured Chatsworth’s status as a major seat of power.

Episode Two: The Powerhouse

Episode Two: The Powerhouse examines the story of the 1st Earl, who became the 1st Duke of Devonshire, and his extensive renovations of the Chatsworth Estate that displayed the great power and wealth of the English Baroque period.

The locations and artefacts examined in this segment include The Great Chamber, the stunning frescoes of the Painted Hall, the architectural renovations that established much of the facades still visible at Chatsworth today, as well as a period painting by Siberechts and the grand water feature known as the Cascade.

Episode Three: Architectural Treasures

Episode Three: Architectural Treasures features exclusive access to the artworks and artifacts of the Devonshire Collection, particularly the prime examples of English Palladianism in the 17th and 18th centuries, including Inigo Jones’ sketchbook and his personal annotated copy of Palladio’s Quattro Libri (“Four Books on Architecture,”) a drawing reputed to be by Palladio himself, and architectural drawings by William Kent and Henry Flitcroft.

Episode Four: Collecting and Reshaping

Episode Four: Collecting and Reshaping looks at how the house and the land surrounding it have changed and adapted over the centuries to reflect new political developments, social realities, and changing styles.

The curators examine artwork by Thomas Smith, James Paine, and Jeffry Wyatville for clues about how Chatsworth has evolved over the centuries, and they also discuss how the landscape architect Lancelot “Capability” Brown began the shift away from formal gardens to the rolling parklands familiar to the estate’s visitors today.

Episode Five: The 6th Duke

Episode Five: The 6th Duke follows the life and works of William George Spencer Cavendish, son of Duchess Georgiana Cavendish, who took on the grandest building projects of the estate in the 19th century.

He collaborated with the architect Jeffry Wyatville as well as Joseph Paxton, who became head gardener at Chatsworth and later designed the Crystal Palace at the Great Exhibition in London.

In addition to the meticulous documentation of his renovations at Chatsworth, the 6th Duke is also notable for his travel journals and for serving as the ambassador at the coronation of Czar Nicholas I in Moscow in 1826.

Episode Six: The 20th & 21st Centuries

Episode Six: The 20th and 21st Centuries takes a radically different approach to the history of Chatsworth in the form of an extensive interview with the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire.

The 12th Duke of Devonshire reminisces about his parents who rescued Chatsworth from the brink of ruin after the Second World War. He and the Duchess then discuss the Masterplan, their remarkably ambitious renovation project and capital campaign from the early 2000s that conserved the stonework and statuary, renovated the roof and utilities, and preserved the estate for the twenty-first century.

The Duke and Duchess are also notable for commissioning modern artworks and temporary installations in the gardens at Chatsworth, which drew praise and ire alike from critics and longtime visitors, and sparked a resurgence of attendance.

Finally, the series concludes with a special message from Jane Marriott, the Director of the Chatsworth House Trust charity, in which she lays out the Trust’s plans to preserve Chatsworth and its collections well into the future.