Find Out What We Thought of this Hotel on the Chatsworth Estate
Recently refurbished, and newly crowned as The Times & Sunday Times Hotel of the Year, Living North spent a weekend at The Cavendish in Derbyshire's Peak District, on the Chatsworth Estate
Despite its close connection to the grand house, The Cavendish has more of a cosy vibe, even the entrance hall has a fire burning as we arrive. We’re shown straight to our room at the end of the building, reached via narrow corridors all lined with art. It’s a ‘Splendid’ (rooms are categorised into Cosy, Spacious and Splendid), which means a high four-poster bed (there are steps to help you climb in), comfy armchairs, a big, marble surround bath and for us, picture windows on two sides giving spectacular views of the surrounding parkland.
The hotel’s new colourful, country-house interiors are elegant and unfussy and a clever mix of modern and traditional, with plenty of references to the hotel’s history. Many of the eclectic mix of photographs and art works on the walls (which include pieces by Elizabeth Frink, Elizabeth Peyton and Jeremy Deller) are loaned from the family’s private collection, and we love the fact that even the lamps are locally made on the estate.
Unpacking quickly we head out, despite the weather, to explore the village, but are quickly forced back thanks to the rain so instead we jump in the car to explore more of this corner of the Peak District, which despite the inclement weather is very beautiful.
Back at the hotel we dry off with a pre-dinner drink in front of the fire in the intimate, ‘50s-style bar, surrounded by historic family photographs of the estate and local area. We are eating in the three-AA Rosette Gallery dining room, which by the time we arrive is busy with guests and locals. We’re shown to a window seat but, being late, the blinds are down so there’s no view. There’s a fire burning at the far end of the room and there’s a lovely warm, almost cocooning ambience, within the minty green, art-covered walls. The Gallery’s Signature menu involves nine courses with a couple of choices between meat, fish or duck and for pudding. It’s carefully curated to showcase the best local producers, including trout from Ladybower Fishery, and pork from the family-run Moss Valley Farm, and of course plenty of homegrown produce from the Chatsworth Estate. Executive Chef Adam Harper works closely with Chatsworth’s gardeners and farmers and it’s clear from the results that the relationship works perfectly. The food is faultless, and service exceptional, so we linger over dinner before eventually climbing (literally) into bed.
You’ve got to love a hotel which serves breakfast until 12 noon and, taking full advantage of the lie-in, it’s late morning by the time we sit down in The Gallery. This time there’s a beautiful view from the large windows and the clouds have lifted sufficiently to be able to see more of the rolling landscape beyond. We’re booked in for a private tour of Chatsworth House, home to generations of the Devonshire family, which is bookable for The Cavendish’s guests, so after some delicious homemade granola and eggs we head off in anticipation. Just as well we have left with some time to spare as we are rather taken aback to find a queue of cars heading towards the house. Few are lucky enough to be on a tour, but it seems the estate attracts plenty of families and dog walkers wanting to explore the wider parkland every day.
We feel rather special to be part of a very small group who get to tour the house whilst it is still shut to the public so early in the season, and would definitely recommend booking this ‘insider guide’ if you can. Tour over, we walk across the park designed by Capability Brown in the 1760s and cut through by the River Derwent, to the tiny Edensor Village. Specially commissioned by the 6th Duke of Devonshire, the custom-built village of Edensor (pronounced ‘Enza') features a delightful hotch-potch of traditional house designs, from mock Tudor to Swiss cottage and the church of St Peter where a special area in the graveyard is reserved for the family’s graves. Back in the car we head home to the hotel via the estate’s award-winning (and very impressive) Farm Shop, and pick up a few treats to take home with us.
It’s just warm enough to sit outside on The Cavendish’s south-facing terrace to enjoy an early glass of wine along with the expansive view and we can only imagine how it must be on a summer’s evening, dining al fresco and watching the sunset over the trees. The terrace leads out from the conservatory-style Garden Room and that’s where we take full advantage of the more casual menu of classics for dinner. Its bright and airy, and surprisingly busy on a Sunday night.
Another late start and another delicious, homemade breakfast and we’re sadly on our way. The Cavendish is the perfect base from which to explore the Peak District National Park, and with Sheffield just 30 minutes away, we know we’ll be back.
