Designed by the famous Elizabethan architect Robert Smythson, the Hunting Tower was completed around 1582 for Bess of Hardwick.
The Hunting Tower is situated on the crest of the hill above Chatsworth House and is accessed via the footpaths and trails through Stand Wood; the views of the park are well worth the climb.
Originally, the Hunting Tower may have been a banqueting house or summerhouse and, as its name implies, it was also used by the ladies to watch the hounds working when hunting in the park below. Guests would have enjoyed the contrasting views to the west, with its ‘tamed’ landscape, including the house and formal gardens below and fields beyond.
Inside, a steep spiral staircase provides access to each of the four floors, with each room following the unusual exterior shape of the building.
Did you know you can stay in the Hunting Tower? Learn more here.
