THE road runs through Ashwood Dale (see p. 46). Midway between Buxton and Bakewell (6 miles from each) is the long village of Taddington, 1,093 feet above sea-level. The restored fourteenth-century Church contains brasses and tombs of the Blackwall family; a piscina and sedilia; and, projecting from the north wall of the chancel, one of those stone reading-desks on which the prayer-books were of old placed during the celebration of Mass. In the churchyard is a tall carved Cross, one of the most ancient in the county. It is 6 feet high, and in the opinion of Dr. Cox was “probably the work of the monks from Lindisfarne, who introduced Christianity into Derbyshire”.

From Taddington the road descends between lovely Taddington Woods (National Trust) to the southern end of-

Monsal Dale is of a more open type than the typical Derbyshire Dale and perhaps because of its contrast the appeal of its placid waters flowing between smooth green slopes is wellnigh irresistible. The Dale is about 2 miles in length, curving round the hill known as Fin Cop (1,072 feet) to the station and village of Monsal Dale. It is thus very conveniently placed for a circular tour - from Buxton by road, walk through the Dale and return to Buxton by rail, or vice versa - and those for whom the walk is not long enough may well continue through to Miller's Dale by the private road from Cressbrook Mill (small toll devoted to charities). Or from the head of Monsal Dale it is a charming walk up through the thickly wooded Cressbrook Dale and across the fields to Litton and Tideswell, whence buses bear one to

Buxton. Motorists who do not wish to leave their cars and walk through Monsal Dale should, from Ashford, run up, to the point on the Tideswell road known as Monsal Head from this there is a lovely view of the Dale.

10 miles from Buxton, is from the circumstance that it stands on the Wye, sometimes called Ashford-in-the-Water, a name which distinguishes it from the many other Ashfords in the kingdom. It is a quiet, old-fashioned place - quieter still since the building of the bypass road - where the curfew still “tolls the knell of parting day”, and the pancake bell is rung on Shrove Tuesday. The inhabitants are principally employed at the marble works in the neighbourhood.

The oldest part of the Church is the tower. The Norman tympanum over the south door was replaced in its original position in 1869, having been found built into the south wall. The carving represents a tree with a wild boar and a wolf. The shaft of the font is curiously carved to represent the body of a dragon or evil spirit, of which the main portion is suggested as inside the font, while the head and tail are shown outside. “This is perhaps meant to symbolize the influence of baptism over sin”.

Over the doorway in the north aisle of the church hang what the uninitiated might take to be the remains of four lampshades. Actually, they were the garlands carried at the funerals of maidens: according to Dr. Cox the custom was continued until 1820. There are similar garlands in the church of South Wingfield and at Matlock. The oak roof of the church is good.

Bakewell is a clean and pleasant town, with some 3,000 inhabitants, at one of the most attractive parts of the valley of the Wye and near the northern end of the Haddon domain. Like Tavistock, Bakewell has an “air” that can be directly traced to Ducal ownership: nearly all the buildings have a

quiet dignity and the place is well kept. It is an admirable centre for those who wish to experience the varied pleasures that Derbyshire can offer, being well placed for excursions long or short, and with golf, tennis, fishing and other amusements. Notwithstanding the presence of Flour Mills, the first syllable of the name has no reference to cooking: an earlier form of the word was Badecanwell, i.e. the well of someone named Badecan. The well still exists in the Bath House, a seventeenth-century bid for Bakewell's future as a spa, but now the home of the local Conservative Club. The Romans knew of the well, and below the bath house i a Roman Bath. Modern visitors with a taste for chalybeate may satisfy their cravings in the adjoining Bath Gardens.

The crowning attraction of Bakewell is its fine-

This large cruciform structure, standing on a commanding site, dates from the beginning of the twelfth century. It is an interesting mixture of various styles of architecture, for while specimens of the original Norman work may be seen in the two western arches of the nave and in the west doorway, the rest of the nave and aisles are in the Early English style, introduced in the thirteenth century. Architecturally the exterior is far more satisfying than the interior. The chancel was rebuilt in the Decorated style in 1300, and fifty years later the Vernon Chapel was added as an aisle to the south transept. In this chapel are buried the families of the Vernons and Manners, of Haddon Hall; but of the many monuments the one that mainly interests visitors is that portraying Sir John Manners, and his Lady (Dorothy Vernon) the heroine of the Haddon Hall romance (see p. 84).

Among other memorials, this part of the church contains an alabaster tomb representing Sir Thomas Wendesley in plate armour. He was killed in 1403 at the Battle of Shrewsbury. During restoration remains of a Saxon building were discovered, and judiciously pieced into the present structure. The tower, which had become too weak to support the spire, was taken down and rebuilt, with a new spire, in the middle of the nineteenth century, and at the same time the whole central portion of the church was rebuilt.

The reredos, erected in 1881, at the time the chancel was restored, is beautifully carved. The lower part is of fine

Ashford marble; above this are figures in white marble of the Apostles, and crowning the whole is a representation of the Crucifixion, carved in white lime wood, with the city of Jerusalem shown as a background.

Also to be noticed are the fine Runic Cross, in the church-yard; the collection of carved slabs, some of them very ancient, in the south porch; and a few quaint epitaphs, notably that in memory of John Dale, in which a local poet, alluding to the two wives of the departed, has shown more humour than good taste-

Haddon Hall, among the most attractive of the ancient manorial dwellings of England, exquisitely beautiful in its surroundings, picturesque in its architecture, and with a halo of romance in its human interest, is situated on a natural elevation above the banks of the Wye.

“Some portions of Haddon Hall are of undoubted Norman origin, and it is not unlikely that even these were grafted on a Saxon erection; the hall porch, the magnificent kitchen and adjoining offices, the banqueting hall, part of the north-east tower, etc., belong to the next later period, from 1300 to about 1380. In the third period, from 1380 to 1470, were added some portions of the chapel and the remaining buildings on the east side of the upper courtyard. The next period, from 1470 to 1530, comprises the western range of buildings in the lower court and the west end of the north range”
(S.C. Hall).

This fine baronial hall, so picturesque in its architecture and surroundings, has inspired - as it could hardly fail to do - artists, poets, and novelists, by its beauty and the romance of its associations. David Cox, Cattermole, and a host of others, have painted it; Allan Cunningham, the poet, is generally held to be responsible for the modem version of the story of Dorothy Vernon; while in novels It is the scene of Mrs. Radcliffe's Mysteries of Udolpho, of

William Bennett's The King of the Peak; and the romantic doings of the popular heroine of Haddon are told in Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall, by Charles Major. Some of our readers will have pleasant memories of the comic opera Haddon Hall, by Sir Arthur Sullivan and Sydney Grundy. The chronicles of Haddon tell of peace and hospitality rather than of stirring events. The Vernons derive their name from their original possessions in Normandy; and one of them, marrying in Norman times the daughter of William de Avenall, the owner of the Haddon estate, became the first of the Vernons, lords of Haddon. A George Vernon, whose monument is in Bakewell Church, was known as “King of the Peak”.

For many centuries the story of the Vernons had no place in the national records; squire after squire strove to excel his predecessor in Old English hospitality, and their most fitting memorials are to be found in the great table of the Banqueting Hall and the utensils still preserved in the spacious kitchen. Consequent upon the marriage, in Tudor times, of Dorothy Vernon with John Manners, son of the Duke of Rutland, the estates passed into the possession of the Rutland family.

Until its re-occupation by the present Duke, the last of the Manners to use Haddon Hall as a residence was John, second Duke of Rutland, popularly known as “the Old Man of the Hill”, who died in 1779. His eldest son, the Marquis of Granby, the celebrated general, died before his father.

was robbed of many of its most romantic details by an article written for the Quarterly Review, in January, 1890, by Janetta, Duchess of Rutland, second wife of the seventh Duke; and an article contributed to Vol. XXX of the Derbyshire Archeological and Natural History Society's Journal by Mr. G. Le Blanc Smith fiercely ridicules the story. But the tradition still sheds, and always will, a halo of human interest around the baronial pile of Haddon Hall. Dorothy Vernon was the youngest daughter and co-heiress of Sir George Vernon, whose magnificence was princely and whose hospitality profuse. “Tradition”, wrote Mr. Hall, one of the best informed of the Haddon chroniclers, “delights to dwell upon her as the most beautiful of all beautiful women, and certain it is that the influence she cast over Haddon is all-pervading. . . Dorothy Vernon's Door, with its fine bold stone balustrades, and its overhanging ivy and sycamore, has heard the whisper of endless pairs of lovers, and been transferred to thousands of canvases”.

“It was from this beautiful outlet that the heiress of Haddon stole out one night in the moonlight to meet her lover. The story is that while her eldest sister, the affianced bride of the second son of the Earl of Derby, was fortunate in her recognized and open attachment, and petted and made much of, she, the younger sister, was kept in the background because she had formed an attachment to John Manners, son of the Earl of Rutland, a connection opposed by her family”.

“Something of the spirit of a wild bird was noticed in Dorothy. She was closely watched, kept almost a prisoner, when, in her own opinion at least, she should have been made free of the woodland. But love laughs at locksmiths. Her lover, disguised as a woodman, lurked in the woods around Haddon for several weeks, obtaining now and then a stolen glance, a hurried word a pressure of the hand from the beautiful Dorothy”.

“At length, on a festal night, when a throng of guests filled the ball-room, when the instruments played in the minstrels' gallery, the young maid of Haddon stole away unobserved, passed out of the door which now bears her name, and crossed the terrace to find hiding in the shadow of the trees. Another moment, and she was in her lover's arms. Horses were waiting, and Dorothy Vernon rode away with young Manners through the moonlight all night, and was married to him next morning in Leicestershire”.

The following notes are based, by permission, on material extracted from the Official Guide.

The Chatsworth estate was purchased in the sixteenth century by Sir William Cavendish, whose son by Elizabeth Hardwick (afterwards Countess of Shrewsbury) was created in 1618 Earl of Devonshire. It has since been the principal country seat of the Cavendish family. The original house, a quadrangular building with turrets curiously disposed about it (see contemporary painting in the North Corridor), was

begun by Sir William, and after his death in 1557 completed by his widow. In 1570 and again in 1573 it was the prison of Mary Queen of Scots. A bedroom in the present house, above the Painted Hall, is still known by her name, but there is no foundation for the legend that, when the old hall was pulled down (1688-89), this room was preserved, by erecting a scaffold beneath it, and incorporated in the new building. Her imprisonment at Chatsworth is also commemorated in the name of Queen Mary's Bower, a square stone structure between the house and the river (built round an ancient earthwork guarding the ford), to which she is traditionally supposed to have resorted. During the Civil Wars the old house was occupied in turn by both parties as a fortress.

The present building, with the exception of the north wing, was begun in 1687 by the fourth Earl of Devonshire, created Duke (1694) in recognition of his services during the Revolution. Kennet tells us that the Earl's original intention was to rebuild the south side only (completed 1693). If it was so, he very soon changed his mind, for the demolition of the old hall, on the inner side of the east wing, was begun in the summer of 1688, and there are items in the accounts from which we may infer that it was already contemplated in the preceding December. The whole of the present house, however, was built mainly on the foundations and followed the lines of the Elizabethan building, a fact which is in itself perhaps suggestive of a gradual enlarging of the Earl's ideas as the work proceeded, rather than of a comprehensive plan adopted at the outset; and the want of system in the rebuilding (e.g. the outer side of the east wing was not begun until the inner side was almost finished, and the elaborate terrace-wall within a few feet of the west front was completed at least a year before the demolition of the west wing began) may also be reckoned an argument in support of Kennet's assertion. The west and the north sides were completed in 1705 and 1707 respectively. Within twenty years of the commencement of the rebuilding, not a stone of the Elizabethan structure was to be seen.

William Talman was the Earl's architect. A valuation of the building (so far as it had proceeded) was carried out in 1692 by Sir Christopher Wren, from which it has been concluded, but probably without good reason, that he assisted

Talman in his designs. Among those engaged in the decoration were Verrio, Laguerre, Ricard and Sir James Thornhill, who between them painted the ceilings; the woodcarvers Thomas Young, William Davis and Joel Lobb; Samuel Watson, a native of Bakewell, who did a great quantity of carving, both in wood and stone; the sculptors Cibber, Nadauld and Nost; and Tijou, the French smith, who designed and executed the superb ironwork of the Great Stairs. It is characteristic of the period that this famous craftsman also helped the local smiths in the manufacture of nails, bolts, clamps, hinges, and such other humble accessories to the structure of the house. For the belief, already current in Walpole's time, that any part of the wood-carving was the work of Grinling Gibbons there is no foundation whatever.

The long north extension, in which are situated the modem Dining Room, Sculpture Gallery, Orangery and Theatre, was built by the 6th Duke (1820-27) to the designs of Sir Jeffry Wyatville. This building with its ugly tower dominates the approach to the house through the north fore-court.

The unimposing Sub-Hall through which we enter was never intended for the purpose which it now serves. Until the middle of the eighteenth century it was the kitchen, th main entrance being on the west front. Here the approach, though dignified, was inconvenient, for coaches could advance no farther than the foot of the steps; and shortly before 1767 (the year in which Paine, the architect of the new stables and of the bridge over the Derwent, published his plans) the old stables and offices which filled the fore-court were cleared to open an approach on the north.

Over the chimney-pieces on either side of the Sub-hall are Landseer's famous pictures, “Laying down the law” and “Bolton Abbey in the olden days”. The portrait of Lord Richard Cavendish (brother of the 7th Duke) over the west door is also by him. Notable among the sculptures here are the Head of Alexander the Great (on newel of stairs, right), reckoned the finest of the extant antique copies of the original by Leochares, and the bust of Inigo Jones by Rysbrack (right of east chimney-piece).

From the Sub-Hall we pass through the North Sub-Corridor (originally an open colonnade round three sides of the court, with galleries above it; enclosed by the 6th Duke, who added the galleries on the second story) to-

sixty feet in length, twenty-seven wide, and two stories in height. Through the arch above the stone stairs at the south end may be seen Tijou's staircase ascending to the State Rooms. At the other end an oak staircase marks the point of junction between Talman's building and Wyatville's addition. The gilt ironwork on the gallery and the lower, flight of stone stairs was copied from Tijou's designs when this flight was rebuilt in 1912. The paintings on the walls and ceiling, depicting the life, death and apotheosis of Julius Caesar, are by Laguerre. Visible through the windows across the court is the old main entrance already mentioned. Over the chimney-piece of Derbyshire marble is a Latin inscription, which may be translated:-

(In the latter year died Blanche wife of the Earl of Burlington, afterwards 7th Duke of Devonshire. The 6th Duke was a Whig, and liked to think of Chatsworth as having been begun in the year of the Revolution: but in act it was begun the year before.)

We next pass through the Grotto under the stairs (notice the beautiful fountain figuring Diana or Venus at the bath; “the festoons of flowers in Roche Abbey stone; and the fine ceiling carved with the insignia of the Garter) to the South Sub-Corridor. Here the most prominent objects are a barge, given to the 6th Duke by the Sultan of Turkey, and a splendid painting of still-life by Roestrater, (signed and dated 1678). At the end of the corridor is the Chapel, a finely proportioned room, unaltered except in minor details since its completion in 1692. The altar-piece, of alabaster and black marble from local quarries, with flanking figures of Faith and justice, is traditionally attributed to Cibber; but it now seems almost certain that the figures alone were his work and that the altar-piece itself was designed and executed by Watson, who also appears to have been responsible for the wood-carving. The painting over the altar (”The incredulity of St. Thomas the frescoes on the north wall (“Christ healing the sick”) and on the ceiling (“The Ascension”) are by Verrio. The carving in lime-tree on panels of cedar-wood,

and the cherubs, flowers and birds above the gallery, executed in the style of Grinling Gibbons, are of especial, beauty.

Leaving the Chapel, visitors enter the west sub-corridor, and pass thence up the West Stairs to the top story. The ironwork on these stairs, often attributed to Tijou (of whom it is not unworthy), was executed, though not designed, by John Gardom, the local smith. In the gallery at the head of the stairs, and in that opening out of it on the south wing, is now arranged in chronological order a series of family portraits, mostly brought from Hardwick in 1926; prominent among these is the portrait of the present Duke painted by Lazlo in 1928; he is seen wearing the robes of the Chancellor of Leeds University. The tapestries in the south gallery (Mortlake, circa 1650) were also moved from Hardwick to their original home in the same year.

A narrow passage at the angle of the two galleries leads to the China Closet. On the wall facing the window are arranged examples of Famille Rose and Powder Blue porcelain. Round the mirror are specimens of Derby and Dresden china. The picture over the cabinet, long known as “The Enthronement of St. Thomas Becket”, is signed “Johannes Van Eyck, 1421”. If the signature were genuine, this would be the earliest signed oil-painting in existence; but in fact it is a forgery. The real date of the picture is circa 1520, and the central figure is not St. Thomas but St. Romold.

Here we enter-

a suite of five apartments occupying the whole of the length of the south front. Built when decorative craftsmanship was at its best, they must in their original aspect have formed one of the finest suites in the kingdom. Unfortunately, however, they were drastically altered at a time (1820-40) when craftsmanship was at a very different level, and when little respect was paid to the achievements of the period in which they were built. Much of the splendid carving which adorned their wainscot panels was then destroyed, and their tapestry hangings removed to Hardwick. The walls of the Bed Room and the Music Room were covered with stamped leather, showing at frequent intervals along its frieze - lest we forget the perpetrator of the outrage - the bust, coronet and cypher of the 6th Duke. In the windows, single panes of

the plate-glass dear to the Victorians were substituted for the original small bevelled panels. The deplorable effect of the change may be seen in the Dressing Room, where some of the old glass still remains. Only the last, the largest, and the noblest of the suite - the Great Chamber, or State Dining Room - stands now, except for its glass, unspoilt.) The State Rooms are filled with treasures, of which only a few can be noticed here:-

Dressing Room. The magnificent silver chandelier reveal its own date, 1694. Those who have eyes to see will discover evidence that the smith was actually at work upon it when the dukedom was created.

Bed Room. The two large mirrors of English glass, showing the arms of the first Duke quartered with those of his wife, were made by John Gumly in 1703. The table with top of Siberian malachite was presented to the 6th Duke by the Tsar Nicholas I.

Music Room. On the back of the door facing the windows is painted the famous violin, familiar to generations of Chatsworth visitors. The coloured chests are of Coromandel lacquer (seventeenth century).

Dining Room. Here are the Coronation chairs of George III and his consort, in the style and perhaps by the hand of Chippendale himself. On the tables are some fine pieces of Limoges enamel (fifteenth century) and the boxwood rosary of Henry VIII.

Leaving the State Rooms we see facing us the door leading to the Queen of Scots' Apartments. Descending the Great Stairs, we pass through the South Corridor (Brussels tapestry, early eighteenth century) and the Burlington Corridor to the North Corridor, where hangs Holbein's original cartoon for his portrait of Henry VIII. At the end of this corridor is the entrance to the Library (not shown), containing about 17,500 books - half the total number in the house - many of great rarity and value, besides a large collection of early prints and drawings. In the Lobby behind the Oak Stairs, through which we enter the modern wing, will be seen a carved lace cravat and medallion portrait, said to be the work of Grinling Gibbons, and a painting of the house built by Sir William Cavendish and destroyed to make way for the present building. Half-way down a long passage a door on the right lead into the Sculpture Gallery. Here are many examples of the

work of Canova, Thorwaldsen, and other artists popular a hundred years ago. The finest are the recumbent Endymion, the splendid bust of Napoleon, and the seated figure of his mother, all by Canova. Far excelling all these in interest and value is the superb series of Hunting Tapestries (Flemish, fifteenth century), among the most perfect specimens of th weaver's art extant. These afford an unrivalled illustration of the dress, sports, and social habits of their period. Thence we pass through the Orangery to-

These, originally laid out in the formal French style, were remodelled by the 6th Duke (1820-40), under the direction of Sir Joseph Paxton, who introduced a scheme of rockwork and landscape in keeping with the romantic notions then in vogue. Certain features of the old gardens, however, are preserved, e.g. the Greenhouse and the Cascade, though both have been moved from their original positions and rebuilt. Another reminder of the old gardens is the famous willow-tree fountain (cast in 1692; recast, or replaced, early in the nineteenth century) whose waters, controlled by a hidden tap, were th source of much entertainment in days when practical jokes were still fashionable. The Great Glasshouse, built by Paxton in 1836-40, and used by him as the basis of his design for the Crystal Palace, was destroyed in 1920. Its stone foundations now enclose a formal garden and tennis-courts.

On the south front are the Canal Pond, with a fountain capable of throwing a jet of water 150 feet into the air, and the Sea-Horse Fountain, carved by Cibber. Visitors are usually conducted along a walk between the two ponds, down a flight of steps to the terrace which runs along the front of the house. The southern portion of the terrace-wall is the sole remaining feature of the Elizabethan garden. Its balustrade is clearly seen in the contemporary painting already noted.

The fine pediment of the west façade (dated 1702) was carved by Watson. The terrace-wall below it, decorated with frostwork, and surmounted by an iron rail of severely beautiful design executed by Gardom, was finished in 1698. The end of the terrace brings us once more to the point from which we started.

From the road the views of Chatsworth are more or less distant, but Edensor is quite close to us - indeed the village is threaded by a by-road which makes a nice route to Bakewell for walkers or for cyclists who do not mind a bit of pushing. Edensor is what used to be termed a “model” village, and as such superseded a far more rustic and far less sanitary village in the hey-day of the Victorian era. It is, of course, the home of workers on the Chatsworth estate and is always kept in apple-pie order: gardens full of flowers and even the grass verges smooth as lawns. The Church, designed by Sir Gilbert Scott, replaced an older building the Norman south porch, four aisle arches and some window tracery have been preserved in the present building. Chief interest, however, centres in the monuments. South of the choir is the Cavendish Chapel, with a grimly designed monument in memory of Henry and William, the two sons of the celebrated Elizabeth (Hardwick), Countess of Shrewsbury - “Bess of Hardwick”, one of the richest women in the reign of Elizabeth. She was married four times, obtaining a large accession of wealth at each marriage, and leaving children only by her second husband, Sir William Cavendish. Their second son was eventually created 1st Duke of Devonshire (d. 1625). The east window of this chapel commemorates Lord Frederick Cavendish, who went out to Ireland as Chief Secretary in 1882 and was murdered in Phoenix Park, Dublin, within twelve hours of his arrival.

At the west end of the south aisle is a memorial to Sir Joseph Paxton, who designed the Crystal Palace, London, the great Palm House at Chatsworth, and - many will be surprised to learn - had a career that was distinguished in many other directions. He was, for instance, at one time M.P. for Coventry (see Violet Markham's Paxton and the Bachelor Duke). Few will regard, unmoved, the War Memorial in the north aisle.

The main road through Chatsworth Park continues northward through Baslow to Hathersage and the High Peak, but those who are making for Buxton should bear away to the left. There are then two routes: the slightly shorter one soon bears off on the right and runs viâ Hassop and Ashford,

the other continues to bear round to the left and brings us to Bakewell.

Many visitors prefer to approach Chatsworth by way of Rowsley, which is connected by rail and motor with Buxton, and lies about 3-4 miles beyond Bakewell.

Rowsley (Peacock Inn) is a charming little village beloved of anglers and artists. It stands on a tongue of land at the confluence of the Derwent and the Wye; the “waters-meet” is a pretty spot. There is a small church, erected in 1855, in the Norman style. Attached to it is a mortuary chapel containing the altar-tomb of the first Lady John Manners and her infant child, with beautifully sculptured recumbent figures, the work of Calder Marshall, R.A.

Rowsley is 4 miles by road from Chatsworth.

The road lies due north alongside the Derwent - a footpath follows the river more closely. A mile onward is Beeley, an ancient and somewhat larger village than Rowsley. It is noted for the grindstones made from the local hard grit. The Church contains a Norman round-headed doorway, believed to have been removed from an earlier church. The embattled tower is sixteenth-century work.

About half a mile beyond the village, the road crosses the river and Chatsworth Park is entered at Beeley Lodge.

This is the pleasantest route (3½ miles) for walkers. The track, in its higher parts a grass one, strikes northwards close to the Peacock at Rowsley, and going under the railway, passes the prettily placed little church. Then it winds upwards and reaches three gates, beyond which, after passing through the left-hand one, it continues through a wood on a comparative level to a col from which there is a beautiful view both in front and behind. The col separates two short valleys, one opening on to Rowsley, the other on to Bakewell. Our road does not cross the col, but drops along the right-hand side of the latter valley, and the rest of the way is quite plain.