Chatsworth, too expensive?

[chem1st]

Yes, Chatsworth is too expensive and what rankles even more is having to pay £3 to park there even if you're visiting the house. It's £13.50 to visit the house and gardens which is too much. A fair price would be enough to maintain the house in its current state, but it's obvious that they are charging too much as the place is being tarted up out of all recognition in current years.

 

Talk of the poor Devonshire's is just the usual class-hatred we know and love from SF. The Devonshire's don't own Chatsworth any more, but run it as a charitable trust. Very few people can afford to own an estate like that any more as inheritance tax would wipes out the estate every time the current owner dies. OK, it's a tax dodge as no one except the DoD has the right to live there, but it's a system that works and otherwise it would be in the hands of the National Trust and just a clone stately home.

 

IHT is the reason why you don't own landed property in your own name.

[Nagel]

IHT is the reason why you don't own landed property in your own name.

 

Exactly. Would you change the current system where a family 'inherits' a stately home, but really they are only stewards of that property for their lifetime?

 

The alternative is the state or the National Trust. Or the house could be split into affordable housing units perhaps?

[TJC1]

We all need to contribute to keep the poor Devonshires in the manner they are used to.They can come and look around my house for £20 each.

 

They can look round mine for a tenner. 15 gets them the guided tour!

[metalman]

Drivel and posts quoting same removed. It would be such a change if for once a thread could stay on topic without people dragging their tedious personal agendas into things.

 

So now I'm confused. Has the drivel and personal agenda stuff been reinstated as requested by chem1st, or has there been some new drivel posted since this message?

[Saffy]

I'd love it if we just had to pay for the parking and the gardens were free to roam.

[craigmason]

I went you got a lot for £20

[Womerry2]

There is no charge for the park and woods. Anyone can go there for free all year round. We are lucky to have something so wonderful so close by, and nobody is forced to spend anything at all there. If you choose to visit the house and gardens, you can see a lot for your money.

 

National Trust entry fees are very similar, so we can safely conclude that ownership makes no difference to the cost of access, but that the cost of upkeep is probably higher than some self-declared experts on here feel qualified to assume.

[1978]

They can look round mine for a tenner. 15 gets them the guided tour!

Chatsworth is expensive. It's unique. The Country Fair attracts many tens of thousands year after year. It clogs the roads with cars and their occupants' money helps provide rural employment. If some of the grousers on SF could do the same in the city it would be brilliant.

[regatta]

Why do you think the Duke is a millionaire?

 

The peasents built Chatsworth, then watched the rich live in luxury, now the peasents are paying for it's up keep, why dont the royals stump up the 14 million or the devonshires, because it's only bus fare to them. Slap me silly! what am I talking about that lot don't pay for owt.

[GrannyGranny]

Compared to other similar houses in the UK its good value IMO.

 

There's a huge amount to see and do.

 

If you are a regular visitor its worth becoming a member which for a yearly fee allows unlimited access to everything.

 

When I lived in Sheffield a family of 5 would have cost £45 for a day ticket, a yearly ticket was £115 I think so well worth it.

 

Its a privately owned estate so you don't have a right to access as it sounds like some posters think they should have.

It would probably have been bought by the National Trust if it had been available but I doubt if it would have been so well funded in their hands.

Yes the Devonshires are a very rich family but no doubt they are acutely aware of their responsibility to maintain the house and surrounding gardens for future generations and the public to view and enjoy (at a price!).