A Fabulous ‘Behind the Scenes’ Tour of Edensor Village
- Admin
- 23 hours ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 53 minutes ago
On Sunday 12th October Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust hosted a very special tour of the beautiful village of Edensor on the Chatsworth Estate.
The event began with a brief welcome by DHBT’s Heritage Development Officer, Anna Cluley. Anna introduced the afternoon and shared details of the Trust’s ‘Buildings at Risk’ project and other current work before handing over to the Christine Robinson, celebrated local author and former Head Housekeeper to the 12th Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth House, who had kindly agreed to be the group’s expert guide!
Christine, along with her husband Clive, led the group through the fascinating history of Edensor from its earliest origins and reference in the Domesday Book to its 19th century ‘facelift’ by Joseph Paxton, under the direction of the 6th Duke, to create the picturesque ‘model village’ with its range of architectural styles that can be seen today.
As well as this general background information, we were treated to some lovely insights into Christine and Clive’s personal connection to Edensor and the Chatsworth Estate, even including marriage records from St. Peter’s Church in the village.
After this introduction, the tour itself began at the Chatsworth Estate Offices where Christine shared details of its earlier incarnations as a coaching inn and later as the ‘Institute’, a working men’s club for the estate staff. There were plenty of chuckles as Christine and Clive shared their memories of the ‘stute’ back in the day!
From the Estate Offices, the tour progressed to ‘Teapot Row’ (so called because when it was completed the builders drank endless cups of tea and ceremonially buried their teapot in the grounds!) and the site of the old village before it was relocated to its current position. Christine was able to bring this area to life vividly through her extensive knowledge and aerial photography showing the positions of the original buildings.
Once inside the boundaries of Edensor itself, the group enjoyed a leisurely stroll through the village, pausing for Christine to share points of interest about the buildings (including those that no longer survive), residents past and present and community life. From the top of the village, everybody took a moment to enjoy the stunning views over towards Chatsworth House and the Hunting Tower with the grandeur of St. Peter’s Church in the foreground.
If attendees thought that this was the highlight of the tour, they were in for a pleasant surprise! As the group made their way back through the village, Christine announced a very rare treat: the Duke of Devonshire had invited her to include a house not usually visible to the public in the tour. The group had the opportunity to admire the house’s architecture and beautiful gardens and hear about its history.
The tour culminated at the Grade I listed Church of St. Peter, designed in its current grand form- complete with 166-foot spire- by the eminent Victorian architect Sir George Gilbert Scott shortly after he won the competitions to create the Albert Memorial, the Home Office, and the Foreign Office in London.
Christine shared some of the church’s many treasurers, including the graves of Joseph Paxton (much grander than that of his patron the 6th Duke) and Kathleen Kennedy (wife of the Marquess of Hartington and sister of President John F. Kennedy) in the graveyard and a memorial near the altar to John Beton, servant to Mary Queen of Scots, who died at Chatsworth whilst she was under house arrest there.
The visit was rounded off in perfect style with a hot drink and a biscuit within the architectural splendour of the church.
It was fantastic to see such a range of people from the local area and beyond enjoying the history of this iconic village in the Autumn sunshine. Huge thanks to Christine and Clive for leading such a fabulous tour!
The DHBT team were also delighted to have the chance to catch up with some of our ‘Buildings at Risk’ project volunteers who came along to enjoy the visit. It is always lovely hearing about the different ways that our volunteers are engaging with the initiative, whether it’s solo or with friends, and the pleasure that it is giving them. If you would like to get involved or receive some support with our ‘Buildings at Risk’ project, send the team an email to:
We are always happy to provide online support or arrange a 1:1 support session at a time to suit you.
