Chatsworth Hunting Tower (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
The Stand

In the civil parish of Chatsworth.
In the historic county of Derbyshire.
Modern Authority of Derbyshire.
1974 county of Derbyshire.
Medieval County of Derbyshire.

OS Map Grid Reference: SK26507062
Latitude 53.23196° Longitude -1.60460°

Chatsworth Hunting Tower has been described as a probable Palace.

There are major building remains.

This is a Grade 2* listed building protected by law*.

Description

Look-out or hunting tower, also known as The Stand. c1582, possibly by Robert Smythson. Coursed squared sandstone with ashlar dressings. Lead roofs. Square in plan with circular angle turrets. Three storeys, the turrets rising to four storeys. Chamfered plinth. Moulded first and second floor sill bands and a pair of moulded bands defining the parapet. Moulded cornices to the turrets which have domed roofs. The corner turrets have paired cavetto moulded stone cross windows to first, second and third floor, except the south west turret which has them only to the top, as it contains the staircase, which is lit by two small square windows with recessed and chamfered surrounds. To the south a broad flight of nine stone steps leads up to the entrance which has flat arch, stop moulded surround and hoodmould. Half-glazed door. Cross window above and above again. To the north and east are three tiers of similar cross windows. Some plainly chamfered. To the west are two single light transomed windows with recessed and chamfered surrounds, to the first and second floors. In addition the north and west sides have a blind 2-light recessed and chamfered mullion window to the basement. To the east are steps down to a basement entrance. Small rectangular windows to the lower stages of the towers. All the windows have diamond leaded lights. Interior: Ashlar chimneypiece to the ground floor room may be C16. Similar but plainer one above and above again. Spiral stone staircase. The turrets have domed ceilings with moulded decorative plasterwork, probably by Abraham Smith. (Listed Building Report)

Comments

Banqueting house in the form of a battlemented tower with a clover leaf ground plan, suggested by Goodall as possibly relating architecturally to the designs of Henry VIII's artillery forts. Although hardly residential this functioned in a manner similar to several smaller hunting lodges and therefore is classified within Gatehouse as a 'palace'. This is a building built with 'military' or 'castle' architectural forms rather than anything ever intended for a defensive purpose.

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Heritage List for England Listed Building number(s) 1372877
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 312030.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 3702.

Books
- Goodall, John, 2011, The English Castle 1066-1650 (Yale University Press) p. 19, 463-4
  Girouard, Mark, 1983, Robert Smythson and the Elizabethan Country House (Yale University Press)
  Thompson, F., 1949, A History of Chatsworth p. 23-5
Periodical Articles
- Girouard, Mark, 1973 Nov 22, 'Elizabethan Chatsworth' Country Life p. 1668-1672

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.

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