Chatsworth House (including Farmyard and Playground)
Chatsworth House (including Farmyard and Playground)
Bursting with history, art from all ages and a first hand glimpse into life on a working farmyard, plus so much more. A school trip to Chatsworth makes for a rewarding day of learning for pupils and teachers alike.
There's so much to see and do
We offer a range of guided visits and activity sessions that will bring your day at Chatsworth to life. Each guided tour and activity session is an additional £2 per pupil or paying adult. Don't forget to take a look at our free teachers' resources, which show a range of self guided tours and activities.
We offer a variety of opportunities to cater for pupils of all ages. Whether your visit has a recreational, cultural or educational focus, we have a range of options to meet your needs.
House Tour
Key stage 1 - 5 and Higher Education
Allow 1.5 hours
Experience this amazing 300 year old family home as our friendly guides take you on a journey full of stories about the people and the objects that have shaped its history.
Your group will learn about key elements of the house, and compare and contrast what you see to our own modern lives.
From ancient artefacts to modern art, our experienced guides will bring objects to life through information and stories. The tour will be adapted to suit children from each key stage and will focus in particular on changes made to the house by the 1st, 6th and the current (12th) Duke.
Garden Tour
Key stage 1 - 5 and higher education
Allow 1.5 hours
The 105 acre garden is full of surprises with waterworks, inspiring sculptures and amazing plants to discover. Pupils will explore the landscape with an intrepid garden guide to uncover some of its hidden stories and secrets.
Specialist tours can also be arranged on request e.g. Kitchen Garden, water works or glasshouses.
Exploring Sculpture
Key Stage 1 - 4
Allow 1.5 hours
The garden at Chatsworth has a wealth of sculpture both old and new for you to discover. Our permanent collection has grown and developed since the 1st Duke’s time into a fantastic resource to illustrate a variety of techniques, materials and approaches that you are able to explore.
The present Duke and Duchess and the Chatsworth House Trust commission new sculptures to add to the collection and we have developed a series of worksheets to help you introduce some of these more modern artists and pieces to your group.
We have two sets of worksheets in our teacher's resources - one aimed at younger children and one containing more information and more challenging activities for older children and young people. The worksheets provide a mix of information about the artist and their pieces in the garden as well as some simple activities to undertake. Please also download a map so you can plan your activity and locate the pieces you choose.
You can either have a self-guided visit using our downloadable worksheets or book one of our friendly and knowledgeable guides to provide additional information and stimulus into your visit.
Business Studies, Leisure and Tourism Tours at Chatsworth
The Chatsworth Estate is a major Derbyshire employer and a national visitor attraction which catered for 645,000 visitors in 2013.
Chatsworth is a great venue for BSLT study; students will be given the opportunity to see at first hand the operational workings of all aspects of the enterprise, from customer service to catering, retailing, human resources and marketing.
Our knowledgeable guides provide a wealth of information on the day and encourage much interaction from students - we like lots of questions! Our tours deliver an overview of the business providing information on marketing and customer analysis. As we progress through the visitor route, we explore operational issues such as access, security, retailing opportunities and customer service.
The whole session should last approximately 1.5 hours after which you are free to explore the gardens, restaurants, cafes and shops at your leisure.
Chatsworth Farmyard and Playground
With animal demonstrations all year round (dependent on season), children can see cow milking, chicks hatching, piglets, trout rearing, and much much more.
They also have a newly refurbished 'Guinea pig village' where children can get up close to cavvies in daily animal handling sessions.
There's more to enjoy than ever before, with a climbing forest suitable for children over 6 and adults alike, right in the heart of the spectacular woodland adventure playground. They also hold regular craft sessions in the Oak Barn, and take trailer rides into Stand Wood.
Other features include the adventure playground, milking demonstrations and trailer rides.