A drive in Derbyshire - from death to dukes

This morning we drove 67 miles south-east of Liverpool into Derbyshire to the village of Eyam, to visit the museum there which tells the story of the 'plague village'. In September 1665 plague broke out in the village after a tailor received some material from London which was infested with 'plague' fleas. During the next year 76 families were hit by the plague and 260 people died. The museum display personalised the deaths by telling the stories of individuals and their families. It also recounted the measures that the villagers took (under the leadership of their minister) to prevent the plague spreading to nearby villages - a story of tragedy and self-sacrifice.

From Eyam we drove what should have been a short distance to Chatsworth House but we accidentally took the 'scenic' route which doubled the length of the drive. The scenery was wonderful though, with views of rolling green hills into the far distance!

At Chatsworth we started with a tour of the house which took about two hours, then had lunch in the Carriage House restaurant and a wander around the gardens. Chatsworth has its own style, with collections of art and furniture built up by the Dukes of Devonshire since the first duke was created in 1688. Some of the most beautiful rooms comprised the State Apartment which was prepared for the expected royal visit of King William III and Queen Mary II. Eventually Queen Victoria came to stay in the mid-nineteenth century and the rooms were used then.

The Great Hall

The State Bedroom

The gardens have quite spectacular water features, including a long pool leading from a cascade down towards the house, where the Emperor Fountain sprays water up to ninety metres into the air. We also enjoyed the sensory garden, the rockery and some of the modern sculptures which were on exhibit around the gardens.

Emperor Fountain at Chatsworth

'La Machine a Rever' sculpture
- part of the Sotheby's exhibition

By the time we returned to Liverpool we had peak hour traffic to contend with but this time we were well prepared with a map of the one-way streets and a route worked out in advance - getting to our apartment this time was a breeze - well almost!