Inside Chatsworth House – The Grand Home of The Dukes of Devonshire

June 22, 2018

It was back in February when I first got to know of Chatsworth House. I was watching a Netflix series on the Secrets of Royal Palaces and one of the episodes was on Chatsworth House, a grand estate, home to the Cavendish family since 1549. That episode really intrigued me. The history behind the house and its inhabitants, the opulence, all upped my interest level and I made it a point to visit the estate once I returned to the UK.

Chatsworth House

The opportunity came in April. I was going to Sheffield for two weeks and I got to know that Chatsworth was only a 40 minute bus ride away. And the best thing was that the House was now open to public. For nearly a decade, it was undergoing a restoration worth 32.7 million pounds with the aim of bringing the 500-year old House to its original glory and the doors opened again in March. It seemed as if the universe wanted me to visit. Plans were chalked out, bus tickets from Sheffield Interchange to Chatsworth House were bought and on a cold, Sunday morning, five of us set out to explore this stately home.

History of Chatsworth House

Chatsworth is home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire and has been passed down through 16 generations of the Cavendish family. It was built by Sir William Cavendish and then passed down to his son William, who rebuilt Chatsworth over a period of twenty years. During the Georgian period, Chatsworth was owned by five different Dukes of Devonshire, all named William. The 5^th Duke William in 1774 married the vivacious and fashionable Lady Georgina Spencer (Lady Diana’s ancestor) and that’s when the story becomes interesting. Georgina after her marriage learned that her husband already had a mistress, Charlotte, with whom he had a daughter and all that he wanted from Georgina was a male heir. Possibly frustrated with her marital life, she threw herself into the world of extravagance, throwing lavish parties and gambling away her riches. The story gets even more interesting when she traveled with her husband to Bath in 1782 and met Lady Elizabeth Foster or Bess. The two ladies became great friends and Bess came to Chatsworth to live with them. Unfortunately, her husband and Bess started an affair soon and strangely, Georgina accepted the “menage a trois” that resulted. After Georgina’s death, William married Bess and she became the new Duchess of Devonshire.

Chatsworth House

Many books have been written on Georgina’s life and the various scandals at Chatsworth as well as movies have been made. A recent one is The Duchess starring Kiera Knightley which was actually shot at Chatsworth House. Watch it if you are interested 🙂

The Chatsworth Estate

The estate is huge and is the size of nearly 20 football fields as told by our guide inside the house. It is located in the Peak District which is one of the most beautiful and picturesque locations in the UK. The estate includes the House, Farmyard and Playground and a 105 acre Garden. The price for tickets to see all of these is 23 pounds for adults and 14.50 pounds for children. If you don’t want to see everything together, prices are slightly lower. We did not go to the playground and only bought tickets for the House and Garden which was 21 pounds. If you are taking a car, it is better to book tickets online from www.chatsworth.org else you will need to pay a charge for parking. We took a bus that dropped us off right in front of the gates so we just got our entry tickets from the counter.

Chatsworth Estate

Chatsworth House

The Chatsworth Garden

I have honestly never seen a garden this big and this beautiful! The history of the garden is also an illustrious one. It was first started in 1555, then restored around 1811 on a grand scale and then changed again around 1858.

Chatsworth House Gardens

Highlights of the Garden include beautiful green houses to grow exotic plants, Fountains, a Cascade, a Vinery, a Maze, a Kitchen Garden, Summer House, Golden Grove etc. I went at a time when everything was grey and dull and I can only imagine how spectacular the garden will look in full bloom.

The garden is huge and if you want to see everything, it will take you approx 2 hours to walk around. If you are lazy like I am, you can also book a buggy ride for about 5 pounds to take you around. The person who was driving my buggy gave me a valuable piece of information – Bollywood has also explored Chatsworth House. Some parts of the horrible film Humshakals was also shot there!

Chatsworth Gardens

Trivia – Around 1834, William, 6th Duke of Devonshire received a shipment of bananas from Mauritius. He liked them so much, he ordered his gardener to cultivate them in the greenhouses of Chatsworth House. And those bananas were names as Cavendish Bananas.

The House

At first glance, the House reminds you of The Palace of Versailles and I got to know that the French Palace was actually an inspiration to the Dukes when they were building and remodeling the house. Inside, the opulence and grandeur is breath taking. Have you seen the 2005 film Pride and Prejudice? Remember the scene when Elizabeth Bennet goes exploring in the sculpture gallery of Mr. Darcy’s house? Well that house in the film is Chatsworth House and that sculpture gallery very much exists.

Chatsworth House Sculpture Gallery

As soon as you enter the House, you realize that you are in the midst of some remarkable and precious works of art collected by the Cavendish family over generations. You get to see centuries-old sketches by the Great masters, ancient Egyptian statues, and luxurious interior decorations interspersed with contemporary art pieces especially that of ceramic, something that the current Duke of Devonshire is very interested in.

The Painted Hall is one of the most stunning rooms with a grand staircase leading to the first floor and balconies on both sides. The Painted hall is striking because of the murals painted on the ceilings.

Chatsworth House Painted Hall

Ascend the stairs and you come to the State Apartments. The first Duke hoped that King William II and Queen Mary would visit him in Chatsworth and the rooms as they were prepared for the royal couple are there for us to see. The King and Queen never came down but if they did, they would have definitely liked those rooms!

Rooms prepared for royalty

The House is full of Sketch Galleries and one of the rooms is full of art from Da Vinci, Raphael, Rembrandt and Guercino. One of the most striking pieces of art in the House for me was the Veiled Statue of the Vestal Virgin by Raffaele Monti.

A Veiled Vestal Virgin by Raffaelle Monti

In the South Sketch Gallery is a stunning portrait of Duchess Georgina made to look like Goddess Diana. Georgina was said to be very interested in collecting crystals, fossils and minerals and we can still see some of the pieces that she brought into the house.

Chatsworth House is not just a mecca for art enthusiasts but also for bibliophiles. There are nearly 30,000 books in the Library including some original manuscripts and works.

Inside Chatsworth House

There’s so much to see in Chatsworth that it is very difficult to condense everything in a blog post and I realize that I’ve already written a lot. It is a beautiful and fascinating place with a riveting history. If you are ever in the Derbyshire area, definitely make it a point to visit the estate. I am sure you will be as marveled by it as I was.

Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon-Avon : Walking in the Bard’s footsteps

June 21, 2018

“And now my dear, you will literally be walking in William Shakespeare’s footsteps”. That’s when it sunk in. I was in Stratford-upon-Avon and I was about to enter the house where the greatest English playwright was born in 1564 and spent his childhood years.

Shakespeare’s Birthplace

Visiting Stratford-upon-Avon

When I got to know that I’d be in Sheffield for two weeks in April, the first thing that I did was find out where I could go on the weekends. Everyone I knew said that there was nothing to see in Sheffield so I should make plans to visit some of the nearby places and one of the suggestions was Stratford-upon-Avon. I’ll write about the other two soon 🙂

William Shakespeare

Me and my colleague looked up Google, checked all information available, booked train tickets and tickets to see Shakespeare’s family homes and on a very cold, snowy Easter Monday morning, set out to discover the Bard’s birthplace.

How to Get To Stratford-Upon-Avon

Since we did not have a car, we took a train from Sheffield to Birmingham New Street railway station. Got down at the station and walked for about ten minutes to the Birmingham Moor Street railway station from where we took a London Midland train to Stratford-upon-Avon. There are a number of websites from where you can book train tickets for travelling within UK. We used the website Go Euro and paid around 35 pounds for the return tickets from Sheffield.

If you are travelling from London, the train ride is around 2 hours long and you will need to get down at Stratford railway station. If you want to fly down, the nearest airport is Birmingham and from there you can either take a train to Stratford or rent a car to drive down.

Travel tip – Don’t wait to buy train tickets two days before your travel because prices can be really high. It is always a good idea to book them atleast a couple of weeks before your trip. Make sure to compare prices between a few websites to get the best rates. Go Euro, The Train Line, My Train Ticket are some of the websites that you can check for tickets at reasonable rates.

Tour or no Tour?

If you are staying in Stratford-upon-Avon, it does not make sense to book a tour because the town is quite small and on a grid, so it is easy to walk around. If you are visiting for a day and have only a few hours to explore, it makes sense to book a hop on-hop-off bus tour from Viator for about 14 pounds (peak season will be more). We reached Stratford-upon-Avon around 11.30 in the morning and had about 6 hours till we boarded our train back to Sheffield in the evening. The bus tour therefore came in really handy because we saved time in getting from one place to another.

We booked the bus tickets online and once we reached the town, from the railway station we took a cab to go to the tourist office to board the bus. Like all hop on-hop off buses, this one was also an open top bus so the ride was a very enjoyable one. The bus drops you off at the major tourist spots and picks up at a designated time.

What to see?

Shakespeare’s Birthplace – No visit to Stratford-upon-Avon is complete without visiting the birth house of William Shakespeare. This is the house where Shakespeare was born, grew up and spent his childhood years. The house is located in the center of the town and is surrounded by shops, cafes and restaurants making it the most popular tourist spot. I went when the weather was really cold and there were hardly any tourists around but if you go during the peak season, make sure to reach early to avoid the queues.

Outside Shakespeare’s Birthplace

The visit starts at the Shakespeare Centre which houses an array of artifacts that date back to Shakespeare’s time including one of the three First Folios owned by The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. There are only 230 First Folios that have survived to this day thus making the artifact extremely rare.

Shakespeare Centre

From the exhibition, you go into the main house. Inside, you’ll find guides in medieval costume either performing or talking about the history of the house. It is remarkable how well the house has been maintained and credit for that goes to The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. There are various pieces of furniture that belonged to Shakespeare’s time. You can see the room where he was born, the crib where he slept, the kitchens, the bedrooms, desks, chairs etc.

Shakespeare’s Birthplace

Inside Shakespeare’s Birthplace

Travel tip – If you are a Harry Potter fan or intrigued by the world of witches and wizards, definitely go to Magic Alley and The Creaky Cauldron, a shop selling magic wands, wizardry games, spells and butterbeer made from an old Tudor recipe. The shop is located next to Shakespeare’s Birthplace and is quite easy to find.

Butterbeer

Shakespeare’s New Place – New Place is said to be the site of Shakespeare’s last home and the place where he died in 1616. The house no longer exists as it was demolished by Francis Gastrell in 1759. The story goes that Gastrell who bought the house after the death of Shakespeare’s granddaughter, Elizabeth Hall got irritated by the influx of visitors and destroyed a mulberry tree in the garden said to have been planted by Shakespeare. In retaliation, the townsfolk destroyed New Place’s windows. Gastrell applied for local permission to extend the garden. His application was rejected and his tax was increased so Gastrell retaliated by demolishing the house in 1759. This greatly outraged the inhabitants and Gastrell was eventually forced to leave town. In fact even till this day, anyone with the surname Gastrell is not given permission to live in Stratford-upon-Avon!

Shakespeare’s New Place

New Place reopened in 2016 and features an exhibition center with rare artefacts relating to Shakespeare’s life, as well as a beautiful garden with commissioned artworks.

Shakespeare’s New Place

Guild Chapel – Standing across from New Place, Guild Chapel was built when in 1269 the Guild of the Holy Cross was given permission to build a hospital and chapel in Stratford-upon-Avon. In 1500, Hugh Clopton, Lord Mayor of London paid for the Chapel’s wall paintings. Conservators now believe that the Guild Chapel’s walls display one of the few surviving pre-Reformation medieval schemes painted at the same time, and painted as one piece.

Guild Chapel

Guild Chapel Wall Painting

Anne Hathaway’s Cottage – Located slightly outside the town, this 600 year old thatched roof cottage was the childhood home of Shakespeare’s wife, Anne Hathaway. Inside, there are guides narrating the story of the Hathaway family, how Shakespeare met Anne, how he came to the house to ask for her hand from Anne’s father, the scandal their marriage caused etc. You can see many rare family items of furniture that date back to Anne’s time, including the finely carved, oak “Second Best Bed” that William left in his will for Anne.

Anne Hathaway’s Cottage

Anne Hathaway’s Cottage Garden

Inside Anne Hathaway’s Cottage

Why Second Best Bed? Because in those days, having a bed at home was a rarity and a symbol of wealth. People rarely slept on the Best Bed and it was more of a showpiece. The Second Best Bed was used by a couple and therefore to give that to Anne was an expression of William’s love and affection for her.

Mary Arden’s farm – Want to experience life in a Tudor farm? Then you’ll perhaps also like to visit Mary Arden’s Farm, which is the childhood home of Shakespeare’s mother and is also a working Tudor farm. I did not have the time to go in and only saw the farm from outside and it looked fascinating. If you are going with kids it will be a great experience for them because there are lots of farm animals inside and interesting activities.

The Royal Shakespeare Theatre – If you are planning on staying overnight then you must definitely complete your Shakespeare experience with a show at The Royal Shakespeare Theatre. I missed out on the experience because I was there for only a few hours but if I ever go back, I’m definitely booking a ticket for myself.

River Avon – A walk along the river Avon or even a river cruise is a must do here. Before going back we spent some time walking along the riverside, gazing at the beautiful swans, clicking pictures and also enjoying a snack of crepes and strawberries. The peaceful atmosphere and the beauty of the place is soul soothing!

River Avon, Stratford-upon-Avon

Bank of River Avon

Useful Resources

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

Viator Sightseeing Stratford-upon-Avon Hop=on Hop-off Tour

Royal Shakespeare Company

I hope this guide was useful and you enjoyed reading about my travel story. If you have been to Stratford-upon-Avon, I would love to know your experience and your stories. Do share in the comments below.

The Tempest

Pics – Niladri Chakraborty

Lakme 9to5 Naturale Range – First Impression + Swatches

May 20, 2018

Lakme recently launched an aloe infused skincare and makeup range and they sent me a few products to try out. In the Lakme 9to5 Naturale range, three products have been launched in the first phase – Aloe Aqua Gel, Finishing Powder and Matte Lipsticks. Want to know more about the range and see swatches of the lipsticks? Read on.

Lakme 9to5 Naturale Range

Continue Reading . . .

Five Bath Hacks You Should Know – Featuring New Vivel Body Wash + Contest

May 18, 2018

In this heat and humidity, the feeling of cold water running down the back is such bliss right? Even five minutes under the shower head is enough to regroup and refresh but do you make the most out of your time in the bathroom? I have compiled a list of five tips that will make your bath experience a truly invigorating one.

Vivel Body Wash

Five Bath Hacks

Try dry brushing – Wellness experts and skin care professionals say that dry brushing for 2-5 minutes before a bath is very good for the skin as it not only removes dead skin cells but also works towards reducing cellulite. It is best to use a natural loofah for dry brushing and make sure not to share it with anyone else. Dry brushing removes a lot of dead skin cells so not a good idea to pass them on to someone else.
In this heat, thinking of a hot bath is out of question but if you are fond of one, it might be a good idea to switch to a cold bath atleast in the hot months. Hot water strips the skin and hair of its natural oils leaving them dry, frizzy and brittle. On the other hand, it is said that cold water has an anti-depressive effect and increases blood flow.
If you have frizzy hair, you may want to stop using a towel to dry it. The fibers in bath towels tend to rough up the cuticles hence leading to frizz. Try wrapping your hair in a soft, cotton T-shirt instead. The excess water will get absorbed and the hair will be a lot smoother. And remember to pat and blot hair dry, never rub it.
This tip I found on someone’s Instagram and I loved it. She uses natural herbs and plants to turn her bath into a personal aromatherapy spa. How? By tying a bunch of rosemary, eucalyptus, sage etc around the showerhead with wire. So everytime water comes out, it feels even more refreshing and there’s a nice smell in the bathroom.
And finally, why soap when you can body wash? Many of us believe that a bar soap is possibly the best body cleanser but the problem with bar soaps is that they can leave the skin really dry, stripping away the natural oils. The best thing that you can use on your body is a moisturising body wash, like the new Vivel Body Washes. Available in two variants, Lavender Almond Oil and Mint Cucumber, these are so much better to use than ordinary bar soaps.

Vivel Body Wash

I’ve used soap as well and I’m using the new Vivel Body Washes and I can clearly see the difference. First of all, these smell really nice and that is an important factor for me when choosing a body cleanser. And the good thing is that the fragrance lasts quite long. Plus, it cleanses much better than soap. After a long day out or at work, a shower with the Lavender Almond Oil or Mint Cucumber feels so refreshing and the skin feels squeaky clean.

Vivel Body Wash

Lavender Almond Oil has a subtle lavender scent and gives the rich nourishment of almond oil while Mint Cucumber with cooling mint and hydrating cucumber gives more freshness. The moisturising formula of both body washes ensures that the skin does not become dry or stretched after rinsing off. Plus, it also has a quick wash formula that rinses off easily so no water wastage.

: Lavender Almond Oil

: Mint Cucumber

And do you want to know the best thing about these body washes? They are now available at an introductory offer of only Rs 40 with a free loofah for brighter and smoother skin!! Yes, you read that correctly. Only Rs 40 which is nearly the same amount as a bar of soap. So why soap when you can get cleaner, fresher, moisturised skin with the new Vivel Body Wash?

Contest

Want to win a Vivel Body Wash hamper for yourself? Very easy. Try Vivel Body Wash for a week and tweet to me at @PoutPretty with your experience. If I like your answer, Vivel will send over one hamper with the new Vivel Body Washes to your address. 5 of these hampers are up for grabs so start now! Contest ends 27^th May. And what is the best part? You can get to try the Body Washes for free too. Just email me at poutpretty@gmail.com with your address and Vivel will send over 1 small pack of bodywash to everyone who writes in for participation. Cool right? So start mailing me now!

Contest and Sampling open only for Kolkata & West Bengal residents.

Eleven Gods and a Billion Indians – Book Review

April 29, 2018

Guest Post

Eleven Gods and a Billion Indians

When Dolon asked me to pen down an article on Boria Majumdar’s book – Eleven Gods And A Billion Indians: The On & Off Field Story of Cricket in India and Beyond, I was excited. Having gone through his earlier publication Playing It My Way, Sachin’s autobiography, and having watched the news of the launch of this book, I was expecting to get some insights into something additional apart from the run-of-the-mill cricket books and related statistics. But, voila! What I got, was beyond my imagination! What actually transpired behind the scenes were shared without any inhibition, and most importantly, without trying to be politically correct. This is equally important and essential for the entire billion population of a country, where the biggest Religion is called “Cricket”, and Cricketers… you know what. Eleven Gods and a Billion Indians I feel, will remain as one of the most important books on Indian Cricket for quite some time.

Eleven Gods and a Billion Indians

He has taken us on a tour from pre-independence Indian cricket, how the sepoys beat the English at their own game and what impact it could have had in the overall belief of the population, to the latest South Africa series of 2018. He hasn’t let go of this opportunity to touch upon the other immensely popular sport, football. Apart from the stories the scorecards say, he has given behind the events tales which the avid reader of the sport was eagerly awaiting. The illustrations given in the book will take you down memory lane of the 1983 Prudential World Cup victory and also some rare pictures which hardly anyone has seen.

He has shared stories of the ups-and-downs of Indian cricket. How match-fixing impacted the whole nation at the turn of the century, with so many of celebrated sons getting dethroned, and the uprise thereafter, holding the hands on our very own “Dada”. Boria has provided coverage of Monkeygate, and how it unfolded. He has also revealed behind-the-scenes details of the two most notable altercations between coach and captain in Indian Cricket, firstly Sourav and Chappel, and very recently, between Virat and Anil Kumble.

From his closeness and personal interactions, he has shared what Dada himself feels about “a bare-chested Sourav Ganguly at the Lord’s balcony”; why the entire Indian team was denied breakfast at their hotel on the day of the 2011 World Cup semi-final; of the 2009 KKR multiple-captain approach by John Buchanan; and many more.

Looking at the various chapters he has structured, it seems Boria has disclosed every single story he was aware of. It can be called the encyclopedia of Indian Cricket. However, with him, you never know. He must have definitely saved something for future releases. It is obvious that Boria is both passionate and knowledgeable about India’s biggest sport. It is his lucid style and ability to tell a story which makes this book even more worthy of reading. It can be passed across generations, as the inside story and politics of Indian Cricket.

In his epilogue, Boria closes with his encounter with a woman outside Eden Gardens in Kolkata selling candy. This was the same woman whom the writer had encountered many times before, while coming to watch cricket or Kolkata’s local league football. This time, it was outside an IPL match. The Billion Indians, such as her, are equally important as the Eleven Players, the Gods themselves, as neither can do without the other. And that is precisely the cause and effect of this masterpiece. Buy it, as a collectible – is my recommendation.

Krishnendu Aich is an ex-Bengal U16 and U19 player, a Calcutta University Blue and has played First Division CAB league for 14 years. He has also successfully led teams in Corporate T20 tournaments.