The Garden at Chatsworth: The Duchess of Devonshire

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 192 pages
• Published by: Frances Lincoln July 2003
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0711218374
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0711218376
• Book Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.8 x 0.6 inches
• Weighs: 1.8 pounds

Product Review
"'This is a bright, shining jewel of a book. The Duchess of Devonshire turns the past into life, and life into art' Amanda Foreman 'The Duke and Duchess have assiduously restored the grounds of the great estate, as well as making contributions to its future glory. This is not only a lively history, but a record of love and admiration for the gardens and for those who have lived and worked in them' The Sunday Times"

Chatsworth House, Derbyshire, must have one of - if not the - biggest gardens in England: one of the best-loved, most visited; largely because of the relaxed attitude of the present Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, its owners for the past half-century. They positively encourage local people to treat it as their own - the Duchess in particular, who believes that 'without people the place would be melancholy, bereft of what it was all made for.' Her opening remark to the story of this most glorious and impressive garden must be the understatement of all time: 'Our garden is an inhibiting place to go out into with a trowel. It covers 105 acres and is contained by a wall one and three-quarter miles long, and this in turn is surrounded by 1000 acres of parkland, encompassed by nearly ten miles of deer fence' The Duchess, however, is not daunted, and has frequently gone out into the garden trowel in hand. But then she comes from a family not easily daunted, being the youngest daugher of the late Lord Redesdale, and sister to Nancy, Jessica and Ubity Mitford. Not only is the garden huge, it contains the apogee of that currently fashionable garden embellishment, the Water Feature: Chatsworth's Emperor Fountain, designed by Paxton, 'a column of agitated white water' set in the still waters of the Canal, is visible for miles; while even more famous is the Cascade introduced by the 1st Duke in the 17th-century; built on a series of steps and slopes, each fall being different, so that the sound of falling water varied. Over the centuries the Cascade has been modified and improved. Today it's regarded as a national treasure. The Cavendish family (of whom the Duke of Devonshire is the head) have owned Chatsworth House and its superb gardens for 450 years. This consistency shows in the developing beauty of the garden, and the stories that surround it. Each generation has made its contribution to a harmonious whole, and their devotion is echoed by the garden staff (23 at the last count). It is significant that the book is dedicated, in particular, to Bert Link and his son Jim - both of whom have led the team with a commitment amounting almost to passion. This book is the next best thing to visiting Chatsworth itself. The photographs are breathtaking, the text full of stories, gossip, facts and gardening information, by someone 'who knows every tree, every lichen-covered statue and every bend in the path'. (Kirkus UK)

Product Description
Takes the reader on a lively personal and horticultural tour of the garden at Chatsworth, a garden that includes parterres and vistas, water in all its forms, rockeries and trees, a productive kitchen garden as well as awesome borders.