……..Where the house stole the show!

The actual home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire Chatsworth almost needs no introduction. Chatsworth House is renowned for the quality of its art, landscape and hospitality, and it has evolved through the centuries to reflect the tastes, passions and interests of succeeding generations.

Fun Fact: The duchess from the move helped shape politics in the 18th century and the most recent Duchess of Devonshire was one of the fabulous Mitford Sisters who helped shaped politics in the 20th century.

Since 1679 Highclere has been home to the Earls of Carnarvon.  While we loved the house in Downton Abby.

Fun Facts: The 5th Earl of Carnarvon was the money and the driving force behind  the archeological discovery of the tour of Tutankhamen in 1922.

The only non-english entry Rosecliff was commissioned by Nevada silver heiress Theresa Fair Oelrichs in 1899 to showcase her families wealth to other wealthy New York society matrons.

Fun Fact: architect Stanford White modeled Rosecliff after the Grand Trianon, the garden retreat of French kings at Versailles.

Dating from King James 1 times, Hatfield House is the home of the 7th Marquess and Marchioness of Salisbury.

Fun Fact: Robert Cecil demolished three-quarters of the original building. The remaining wing survived as the stables for Hatfield House for the next three centuries, until it was restored by the 4th Marquess in 1915.

This classic film about the English Queen of Denmark is one you must see. For big house love!  The chateau was  was finished in 1725.  In 1764 it was altered to the Rococo Style. Apart from the main hall, the most significant room is the sala terrena underneath. The grottoes connecting to the garden on the ground floor have fountains with sculptural decoration in the shape of Hercules, water deities, sea monsters and angels.

Fun Fact: The Duchess, after the death of her first husband married the Tuscan Grand Duke, Gian Gastone III, the last male descendent of the Medici family.

Knebwoth House is owned by the Lytton family. Every generation of the Lytton family has left something of its style and taste, making Knebworth an extraordinary walk through 500 years of British history. Stories and heirlooms reflect the family’s contribution to literature, politics and foreign service and visits by characters as diverse as Charles Dickens, Winston Churchill and Noel Gallagher.

Fun Fact: because of the turrets, domes and gargoyles silhouetted against the sky the house is often used as a stand in for Balmoral in The Kings Speech and The Crown

My favorite house of the bunch because it was designed  by the famous architect Robert Adam, Kedleston was built for Sir Nathaniel Curzon in 1765 as a house to rival Chatsworth. Intended as ‘a temple of the arts’ and as the location for grand entertainments.

Fun Fact: The main house was never meant to be a family home, but a canvas on which to showcase the finest paintings, sculpture and furniture.