Chatsworth gardens stay open to visitors for walks in fresh air during lockdown

Chatsworth’s garden is staying open for the duration of the second lockdown, in keeping with Government guidelines, along with its car parks, takeaway picnic shops and estate farm shop.

The house, farmyard, gift shops and restaurants will be closed until December 3.

A magical festive light installation has also been installed this year, for the first time, as part of a new Christmas trail through the 105-acre garden.

Sally Ambrose, head of visitor experience, said: “It’s such a difficult time for everybody right now so we wanted to keep the garden and parkland open to visitors because they are big spaces and can still be enjoyed safely.

"Everybody is still welcome to come and enjoy Chatsworth and we will open in full again from December 3 for the Christmas displays in the house, which so many people look forward to.”

The estate farm shop at the nearby village of Pilsley is operating under its usual opening hours and a collection service is also available seven-days a week – with goods are loaded straight into the boot without customers having to leave their car.

The shop is planning to revive its home delivery service, launched during the first lockdown, with priority given to those who are either ill with the coronavirus, particularly vulnerable to infection such as the elderly, or people who are self-isolating.

Chatsworth’s 105-acre garden is famous for its rich history, historic and modern waterworks and sculptures, its Victorian rock garden and maze while the spectacular 1,000-acre park on the banks of the River Derwent was chiefly designed by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown in the 1760s.

Chatsworth is currently undergoing the biggest transformation of its garden since Joseph Paxton's work finished nearly 200 years ago. The 25-acre redevelopment area includes a remodelled rockery, the maze borders, the ravine, the trout stream and the Jack pond.

The project involves the clearance of previously inaccessible areas, large-scale structure installations, hundreds of thousands of new plants and hundreds of new trees.