A message from our Chief Executive
The fact that we have begun our reopening programme is certainly heartening for us. Our car parks, garden, take away food outlets, and most recently our gift shop are all now open, with strict control measures in place, to help ensure the safety of our colleagues, our communities and our visitors. This remains our priority.
As a vital food service outlet, the Chatsworth Estate Farm Shop continues to serve customers, both in-store and via our new food delivery and collection services. We have implemented measures to protect our customers and employees, details of which can be found in the farm shop section of the website.
In line with government guidelines, the house, and farmyard remain closed, as do our restaurants. We are however working on robust plans, so that we can reopen them gradually, as soon as it is safe to do so.
I want to reassure everyone that this gradual reopening will be controlled and managed. We are liaising with the Peak District National Park, and are displaying their posters at the main pedestrian entrances to the park and in our car parks, reinforcing the messages of social distancing, respect for local communities and to not park outside approved areas. Access to our garden and car parks is via an online advance booking system, where visitors can book a time slot during which to arrive. This allows us to limit the number of cars, and ensure a steady flow of visitors to enable safe social distancing and avoid congestion.
Our goal is to ensure that we offer visitors the warmest of welcomes, in a safe and responsible manner, and we will continue to work closely with all of our local partners, to ensure that we can come through these challenging times together.
On behalf of the Duke and Duchess, and everyone as at Chatsworth, I would like to thank you for your continued support. We wish you the best of health and look forward to seeing you again soon.
Kind regards,
Stephen Vickers, Chief Executive
Working together to ensure our safety
To ensure the safety of our visitors and colleagues, we've put certain measures in place in our shops, cafés and around the estate.
So far, we've:
- Fitted a number of new hand washing stations and portaloos.
- Created safe queuing areas and introduced limits to the number of visitors inside our shops and cafés.
- Implemented 'single shopper policies' in smaller catering outlets.
- Added signage and floor stickets to assist visitors and staff in adhering to social distancing.
- Created 'one way systems' to reduce congestion.
- Increased the frequency of cleaning on all touch points.
- Added Perspex screens at our payment points.
- Switched to accept contactless and card payments only to avoid the handling of cash.
Friends memberships
As a result of not being able to open, and the potential for Friends to need to self-isolate, we will be offering all Friends who renew their membership between 1 April 2020 and 31 March 2021 an additional six months membership free of charge.
Future bookings
If you have already booked tickets and need to postpone your visit, please email [email protected].
Anyone with tickets to visit on a date when we are closed, or for an event that has had to be cancelled/postponed, will be contacted by our bookings team, at least two weeks before the date of the visit. You do not need to take any action to contact us.
Gift vouchers
Gift vouchers to the house, garden and farmyard as well as afternoon tea vouchers which are due to expire are automatically extended until 31 October 2021, excluding 1 November 2020 to 31 March 2021.
