I headed to Chatsworth House to find out why there's much more to this Derbyshire delight than just a good location to film period dramas

The charming and captivating Peak District delight has played home to a host of film crews, including the 2005 film version of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, and most recently The Duchess, which tells the fascinating life story of Georgiana Cavendish, the 5th Duchess of Devonshire, and stars the equally beautiful Kiera Knightley.

Nestled away in the Peak District, Chatsworth House offers a fantastic blend of beautiful secluded scenery, stunning architechture and 16th Century authenticity making it the perfect place to film the latest blockbuster.

But, as I found out, when I was lucky enough to be given a personal tour around the eye-catching estate, there is much more to it than just a good film location. Within seconds of my entrance into the north hall the sheer splendour and magnificence of Chatswwrth is visible for all to see with the Italian marble floor setting the perfect tone for the rest of the tour.

The impressive floor, which was put in by the 6th Duke of Devonshire in the 19th Century, has suprisingly only recently been discovered ny the estate owners after being hidden away for many years by a carpet.

"It was protected by a carpet, but it seemed a real shame to hide something as beautiful as this way,"explains one half of my guide team, Sue Brown. "We have been assured by the conservators that the floor will not be damaged without the carpet on it."

At the far end of the spacious corridor lays and even more spectacular staircase, which seems to convey all the grandeur and power of the estate in a similar way that the famous opulent staircase did on the doomed Titanic.

Above and around the staircase proudly hang a varierty of beautiful paintings, dating as far back as 1692, depicting the life and times of Roman emporer Julius Caeser as well as around 10 second Century Roman busts.

"The pictures have been conserved and restored in rather dramatic fashion ,"says Sue, who as a guide is as good as you get. "The ceiling was seen to be sagging in 1936 so there was little time to waste with the restoration project. It took two years to complete."

Amongst the pictures on show are Caeser declaring himself Emporer, his momentous crossing of the English Channel and his brutal asssassination.

And, as Sue reveals with evident pleasure, it is thanks to the history-loving 6th Duke of Devonshire that Chatsworth is the proud home of such treasures.

"A lot of the ancient pieces that we have were bought by the 6th Duke,"she adds. "It was a big personal fascination of his, he just love to collect and he certainly chose wisely."

"Collecting has always been a big part of family life for the Cavendish family," Kay, the second half of my guide double-team, who has worked here for around five years, chips in enthusiastically. "Even now the current Duke and Duchess are avid collectors of modern art and ceramics and many of these pieces are on show throughout the building."

This comprehensive and impressive collection certainly helps to add to the ever-growing appeal of Chatsworth and provides art lovers with a splendid voyage through the centuries of the genre.

We then move on to The Film Exhibition area, which proudly showcases Chatsworth's many appearances upon the big screen through a series of interactive displays and props from the film which is already appealing to both young and old.

Visitors are even giving the chance to try on authentic period clothes in the Family Discovery Room.

And not suprisingly the room has proved to be a massive hit with youngsters and, as we enter the snug little room, we're greeted by two playful children aged around seven or eight years-old, trying on the wigs on offer.

"We have had a lot of films made here at Chatsworth," says Kay, as she is watched over by a life-size model of Hollywood star Kiera Knightly. "This is a really interesting place because it has got history, glamorous costumes from The Duchess film and some excellent artifacts.

"The Family Discovery Room is an excellent addition. It was supposed to be just for the kids but the adults love to try to the clothes on," she adds unable to contain a boisterous laugh at the thought.

"The Duchess was a very good film,"Kay continues, raising her voice to compete with the noisy group of schoolchildren who have just entered the exhibition. "It was very representative of the story. It was quite exciting when the crews where here and the visitors really enjoyed it. It gives everyone a buzz."

"I'm a bit disappointed by it all,"Sue interjects with a merry, if but a touch rueful chuckle. "I missed the crews being here and missed out on all the fun." But for anyone who did miss the big day, the Film Exhibition certainly does a very good job at conveying exactly what went on.

Following the release of The Duchess, Chatsworth, which boasts 105 acres of stunning colourful gardens and one of the nation's best water cascade features, saw a clear rise in visitor numbers with people from far and wide eager to see for real the place they had enjoyed so much on the big screen.

After our brief flirtation with the present day we move seamlessly back down the centuries and into The Great Chamber, which is one of a series of rooms which come together to form the luxurious State Apartment suite.

The delightful suite was developed by the first Duke of Devonshire in a bit to attract King William III and Queen Mary to Chatsworth House. But, despite the large amount of money lavished on the rooms, it was all in vain and the Royal couple never made their visit.

The theme of learning was again comes to the fore as we progress into the Building History exhibition, which takes visitors on a fascinating trip through the years to celebrate everything that is good and famous about this most delightful of stately homes.

For Kay, who I sense has more than just a work-related passion for the 12,310 acre Chatsworth site, being able to educate, enthuse and entertain visitors in this way is key element to Chatsworth's ongoing success.

"Each year we always try to keep it fresh and offer something different,"she explains. "We get visitors that come back every year and it is good to be able to give them something different. Chatsworth has so much to see and do, it takes more than just one visit to soak up what we have got on offer."

Nowadays the 126 room estate, of which nearly 100 are closed to visitors, rocks with the contended chatter of happy families enjoying their day out.

But back in the time of the 6th Duke, Chatsworth moved to the music of the era, with big social gatherings taking place on a regular basis in the grand State Music Room, which we are now passing through.

As we saunter through, the gentle hum of classical music fills the background with enchanting sounds and a classical 17th century Harpsicord sits waiting to be played in a corner. It must have been a delightful place to mingle hundreds of years ago when the room buzzed with people and activity.

Sue and Kay then guide me into a brightly light gallery area and to an appealing painting which reveals an often unknown secret in Chatsworth's long and distinguished history.

"During the war Chatsworth was turned into school for girls who were evacuated here,"Kay reveals in the full flow of a good art historian. "This picture was painted showing the girls using one of the state rooms as a dormitory.

"It must have been quite daunting for them at the time, but they just got used to the place after a while, it was just where they lived."

Following our departure from the gallery, Chatsworth appears to resemble something more like a building site. But fear not, the attraction is not crumbling down, we have just entered an area currently undergoing a huge five year restoration plan to preserve the beauty of the historically-rich Chatsworth and create additional space to showcase many more of the house's array of treasures. From what I have already seen it is rather hard to imagine that Chatsworth has any more treasures to reveal. Everywhere we turn it seems there is more and more spectacular and lavish paintings, busts, artwork and decor. And, right on cue, we glide into a long thin corridor stretching far in the distance and littered with a beautiful range of ancient and contemporary art and Sculpture Gallery which would not be out of place at any London art gallery. "The two corridors have an excellent range of old and new. Here we have Egyptian memorial tablets set into the wall. The oldest is nearly 4,000 years old. "Then we have the modern art of Lucian Freud and Sean Scully in contrast," Sue adds expertly. Last but not least is the captivating and historically significant 19th Century north wing, which was added thanks to the relentless improvement work of the 6th Duke and finally completed in 1832 - just in time for the visit of a young Princess Victoria. It was in this magical room that the young Royal enjoyed her first grown-up meal. As my mind wanders back to nearly 190 years ago, I cannot help feel a tingle of excitement and delight to be in this awe-inspiring room where such a key moment in the nation's hsitory took place. Awe-inspiring is perhaps the perfect way to describe this most wonderful of settings. And whether you want to enjoy the beautiful sunshine in the lush green and expansive gardens or amble through the amazing colletion of artwork amassed by the Devonshire family, it is clear that this superb jewel in the Derbyshire tourist armour has something for everyone, whether young or old , local or foreign or poor and rich. "Chatsworth is a warm and friendly place," says Kay with a great sense of belief in the whole Chatsworth package. "We don't have 'Keep of the Grass' signs, we let people take pictures and we have lots of things to keep people entertained. It is very relaxed here and I think that is key. We have a warm lived in feelign and we pride ourselves in the friendly-nature of our staff. "It is a fantastic day out for everyone. There is modern, traditional and contemporary art, a wonderul history, a huge garden, water features. What more could anyone want? Well she would say that I hear you say. She certainly would . . . but it is also very true.