Stately home Chatsworth House gets ready for its grand reopening with new rules

Now the tradition of a summer tour is resuming as country homes and castles nationwide are once again opened to the public following the easing of lockdown restrictions.

Chatsworth House is one of the homes preparing to welcome back its first guests this summer.

Those organising the reopening say filling the corridors and halls, which have been empty of visitors for so many months, inspires hope for a joyous summer ahead.

As the finishing touches were made yesterday, Devonshire collections manager Alice Martin said: “Places like Chatsworth give people the opportunity as a family to go out, to enjoy beautiful places and the fresh air and the gardens.

“It’s just so nice to be open, it gives us a purpose. It’s why we are here, and why we take care of all these things, so that people can see them.

“That’s what Chatsworth House is for, and it’s something a lot of people remember from their childhood. It is a part of our traditions.”

Among its famous features is the Painted Hall, with its famous ceiling by Louis Laguerre, the Great Dining Room in all its grandness, and the galleries which represent the finest private sculpture collection in all of Europe.

The house near Bakewell, Derbyshire, is home to the Cavendish family since 1549 and is the seat of the Duke of Devonshire who has been in residence with the Duchess over recent months.

But with the windows shuttered and clocks silenced, Miss Martin said the house had felt a sense of “sombre” isolation.

“It’s all about entertainment, and being beautiful, this house,” she said. “With nobody to look at Chatsworth, it was as if it were all dressed up with nowhere to go.”

As fresh flowers were arranged this week and the clocks were once again set, she added, there was a feeling of jubilation.

“It’s that excitement of ‘having guests’, we’ve got to look our best. It feels as if we’re coming out of hibernation,” Miss Martin added.

Gradual reopening

Many of the nation’s country homes and castles have gradually reopened over recent weeks, with the homes run by National Trust and English Heritage among the first to adopt new measures.

Harewood House, on the outskirts of Leeds, extended its opening times this week but with limited numbers, while Castle Howard, near York, has opened its grounds and playgrounds to guests.

The gardens at Chatsworth opened late last month, with a display of more than 50,000 perennials, shrubs and trees as it undergoes its biggest transformation for nearly 200 years.

The estate, with its shops and restaurant, has been slowly opening over recent weeks and yesterday extended a welcome to the house to its friends and members.

From Monday, the wider public are invited to return, though there will be strict measures in place from limited tickets to one-way systems.

Unique challenges

Preparing to open a home like Chatsworth House to the public in a safe way has brought unique challenges, said Miss Martin.

The collections have to be protected so there are now secondary bannisters to create a distance from some items, while discreet signs are in place as well as additional cleaning routines.

“We wanted to create something that was beautiful, where people could come and relax and be with their families but in a safe way as well,” said Miss Martin.

“We are always wanting to share these amazing things we look after. It’s been really interesting to see how we do that. We can’t disinfect our collections, they are really fragile.”

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