Event details
Friday 27 February 2026
11am – 12pm | £15 per person
The Hartington Room, Chatsworth Stables
On 12 September 1857, the writer Elizabeth Gaskell and her daughter arrived at Chatsworth, showing their green admission ticket to gain entry.
They were shown around by a housekeeper, but their tour was interrupted by an invitation to luncheon and an announcement that rooms had been prepared for them. They therefore made the fairy-tale transition from tourists to honoured guests of the 6th Duke of Devonshire.
Join Head of Archive & Library, Fran Baker, to learn about Gaskell’s account of her visit to Chatsworth in the context of her own writing, and to explore what the episode can tell us about Gaskell’s professionalism as an author, the relationship between writers and aristocratic patrons in the age of the professional writer, and middle-class social mobility in the mid-19th century.
This talk forms part of an exciting programme of events supporting our 2026 exhibition, House of Stories: Tales from the Chatsworth Library.
Refreshments
Tea and coffee will be available at the start of the session.
Meeting point and time
Please make your way to The Hartington Room, through The Cavendish Restaurant off the Stables Courtyard.
Doors will open at 10.40am for a prompt start at 11am.
Accessibility
The Hartington Room is a step-free, accessible venue. Accessible toilet facilities are available within The Cavendish Restaurant and The Carriage House Café.
If you have any questions about your specific needs or require a carer ticket, please contact education@chatsworth.org.
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