Put Up Your Dukes (Lynn Kerstan)

This is Chatsworth, jewel of the Peak District and one of my favorite “Great Houses.” It doesn’t look very large in this picture of the facade, but the house has 125 rooms! In the ’90s, when I was writing Raven’s Bride, I spent a week checking out settings for the book, and naturally, Chatsworth had to be included. The 12th Duke and his duchess have spiffed up the place considerably since last I was there, and major restoration projects are underway.

Sadly, this was the last stop on the Alicia-and-Lynn-Do-the-English-North Tour, and we had only a little time to visit. But every moment of that time was a treat. Walking in from the parking area, I spotted three signs on a back wall that captured some of the reasons I so love the Brits. Low on the left are some bowls, a small pump, and a blue sign: Water for Dogs. The sign above it points to The Gardens, where visitors and locals are welcome to walk their pooches. You can read for yourself the directives for lorry drivers making deliveries. Only in England!

If the house looks familiar, you may have seen it in the movies. Pride and Prejudice (2005) and The Duchess (2008)—both starring Keira Knightley—and The Wolfman filmed there. But to me, Chatsworth remains the home of the 6th Duke, known to family and intimates as “Hart,” who inherited eight properties and 200,000 acres of English land when he was 21. Known as the “Bachelor Duke,” he was a dedicated collector, a profligate traveler, a friend of “Prinny” (the Prince Regent) and, later, Charles Dickens. He was also a womanizer, but we know little about his escapades because after his death, Victorian relations destroyed or severely redacted his journals and correspondence.

The dysfunctional marriage of his icy, autocratic father (played by Ralph Feinnes) and his mother, Georgiana, was the subject of The Duchess. We saw an exhibit featuring photos and costumes from the film, along with fascinating memorabilia of Georgiana, who was the Toast of England for a time but sadly addicted to gambling.

Here I am with the costume display. I fit right in, doncha think?

As for Hart, he has a new life as a recurring character in several of my books (including the one I’m working on now), as does the Duke of Wellington. I’ve read so much about them and had so much fun writing about them that I feel positively proprietary. In fact, I’d hoped for my first glimpse of Stratfield Saye, Wellington’s country house, on this trip, but once again, it was not to be. Next time for sure.

Meantime, that morning at Chatsworth, we visited Hart’s study where I was given the privilege of sitting in the actual chair he used. Once again, I fit right in!



After a visit to the shop and a snack on the sunny patio, we cavorted in the gardens. This is the famous "cascade."






If you mess with me, heads will roll!








Hello? Hello? Can you hear me now?

















A couple of free-range chickens.

Goodbye, Chatsworth. The Good Lord willin' and the creek don't rise, I'll be baaaack.