Exhibition details
21 March - 4 October 2026
Entry included with all house and garden tickets
The Devonshire family have been passionate readers, collectors, and champions of literature since the 17th century. Through seventeen generations, they have assembled one of Britain’s most important private book collections, preserving rare first editions, exquisitely decorated books, and personally annotated volumes, with works of fiction, poetry, and drama playing a key part in this remarkable collection.
This is the first time that Chatsworth is showcasing some of the most treasured literary works from the Chatsworth Library shelves.
Through rare books, manuscripts and letters, combined with furniture and artworks, the exhibition explores a house alive with stories. We explore the extensive literary networks surrounding Chatsworth and give an insight into the role that literature and reading have played within the family.
The exhibition takes place during the 2026 National Year of Reading and will be supported throughout the season by events, talks and workshops.
Works of note on display include:
- Letters from Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell, Charlotte Brontë and William Thackeray.
- Francesco Petrarca, Il Petrarca (Venice: Aldus Manutius, 1514). Gifted to Duchess Georgiana by her brother, Earl Spencer.
- John Milton, Paradise Lost. A Poem in Ten Books (London: T. Helder, 1669)
- Ben Jonson, Pleasure Reconcil'd to Vertue, scribal manuscript (1618) accompanied by Hercules' Bowl-Bearer, Inigo Jones, pen and ink.
- Geoffrey Chaucer, Fragment of a manuscript of The Canterbury Tales (Man of Law's Tale)
- William George Spencer Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire, Handbook of Chatsworth and Hardwick (London: Frederic Shoberl Jr., [1845]), extra-illustrated copy.
Tickets
Artefacts, artworks, and furniture connected to the exhibition are on display throughout the house at various points on the visitor route.
Access to the exhibition is included with all house and garden tickets; you do not need a separate ticket.
Chatsworth Supporters
Admission to the house and garden is included with Patrons and Friends membership. Simply book a ticket using your membership number and registered email address. You can also purchase guest tickets at 10% off.
Not yet a friend? Learn more about the benefits of Friends membership and how you can support the Chatsworth House Trust charity.
Which authors are featured in the exhibition?
Author works or archive materials featured in the exhibition include:
- Jane Austen (1775-1817)
- John Betjeman (1906-1984)
- Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855)
- George Gordon Byron, Lord Byron (1788-1824)
- Geoffrey Chaucer (died 1400)
- Daniel Defoe (1660-1731)
- Charles Dickens (1812-1870)
- Patrick L. Fermor (1915-2011)
- Elizabeth Gaskell (1810-1865)
- Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)
- Ben Jonson (1572-1637)
- Lady Caroline Lamb (1785-1828)
- T.E. Lawrence (1888-1935)
- John Milton (1608-1674)
- Caroline Norton (1808-1877)
- Francesco Petrarch (1304-1374)
- Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
- Edmund Spenser (died 1599)
- William Thackeray (1811-1863)
- Horace Walpole (1717-1797)
- Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)
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Stay With Us
With miles of walks on the estate and in the national park, as well as centuries of heritage, art and design to explore, Chatsworth and the Peak District are a dream destination for an unforgettable escape. Find a stay with us in a hotel, inn, cottage, or shepherd’s hut here.
