Standing on the east bank of the River Derwent, Chatsworth looks across to the low hills that divide the Derwent and Wye valleys. The house, set in expansive parkland and backed by wooded, rocky hills rising to heather moorland, contains a unique collection of priceless paintings, furniture, Old Master drawings, Neoclassical sculptures, books and other artefacts. Chatsworth has been selected as the United Kingdom's favourite country house several times.
Hardwick Hall is an architecturally significant Elizabethan country house in England built between 1590 and 1597 for the formidable Bess of Hardwick; it was designed by the architect Robert Smythson, an exponent of the Renaissance style of architecture. Hardwick Hall is one of the earliest examples of the English interpretation of the style, which came into fashion having slowly spread from Florence; Its arrival in Britain fortuitously coincided with the period when it was no longer necessary or legal to fortify a domestic dwelling.
This property is also stunning (although only the gardens were open on the day we visited), but you have to remember that death duties ran to 80% of the total inheritance value!