As Diane and I had walked to Chatsworth House from Baslow yesterday and approached the House from the stable side, we wanted to approach the House from the bridge today, so that it would suddenly come into view - magically, enchantingly, stunningly into view. In all its centuries old glory. This meant that we needed to begin our day in Edensor, the picturesque model village built to the
specifications of the 6th Duke of Devonshire with the help of Joseph
Paxton. The entire village was moved over the hill from it's original location just by the River Derwent, thus freeing up the view and leaving it idyllic as seen from the House. It is said that after quickly looking through designs for
the new house, the Duke could not make up his mind and chose all the different
styles in the book. The result is that Edensor is a charming mix of designs
ranging from Norman to
Jacobean, Swiss-style to Italian villas. A few of the old houses remained
virtually untouched including parts of the old vicarage, two cottages
overlooking the green, the old farmhouse which now houses the post office, shop
and tea rooms, as well as the Gardener’s Cottage across the road.
After a look round the picturesque village, Diane and I headed to the Edensor's St. Peter’s Church and it’s cemetery where Kathleen Kennedy Cavendish and Deborah Mitford Cavendish rest. Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy was the daughter of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and Rose Kennedy, sister of future U.S. President John F. Kennedy, and wife of William Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington, heir apparent to the Duke of Devonshire. They married in May 1944 and, sadly, he was killed on active service, only a few weeks later. Kathleen died in a plane crash in 1948, flying to the South of France on holiday with her new fiancé Peter Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 8th Earl Fitzwilliam. The Cavendish family considered Kick one of their own and had her buried at St. Peter's in the family plot. I very much wanted to see Debo and Kick's graves, as apparently did others, as we found this sign near the church door, which proved exceedingly helpful.
Edensor has a unique and charming way of keeping the graveyard tidy.
Before we left Edensor, there was time for another, more leisurely stop at the Tea Cottage.
One last look over a fence and we headed for Chatsworth House, just a mile away.
Would you like to see Edensor for yourself? We'll be given a private, guided tour of the village during Number One London Tours 2017 Country House Tour. Keep watching this space for more details, itinerary, pricing and reservations.
Part Two Coming Soon!
