There’s only one place in the Peak District where you can find a Georgian mansion, an Italian-style villa, a Swiss cottage and a miniature castle all on the same street, and that’s Edensor!
This pretty little village lies within the Chatsworth Estate in Derbyshire. It’s a picture-perfect place, with its eclectic mix of housing styles laid out around a wide village green, in the centre of which stands the graceful church of St Peter’s.
The village has an interesting history, having been moved in the mid-19th Century from its original location by the river because the then Duke of Devonshire didn’t like the view of it from his windows in Chatsworth House. The construction of the new village as it stands today was managed by Sir Joseph Paxton, famed architect of the Crystal Palace in London.
According to popular belief, the wonderfully varied mix of housing came about because the Duke couldn’t decide upon which style he wanted for his new village, so asked for ‘one of each’.
The grave of Sir Joseph Paxton lies in the village churchyard, along with the graves of many past Dukes of Devonshire, and also that of Kathleen Kennedy, sister of the former US president John F Kennedy.
Edensor today is a lovely place to wander with a wonderful tearoom, and it’s an easy stroll from the village into the grounds of Chatsworth House and along the River Derwent.
