Chesterfield and Renishaw Hall
Saturday 8 August
8.30am (b) from Northwich
Other pick-up points available - details and booking conditions here.
£18.00

Chesterfield is a historic market town famous for the Crooked Spire Church of Saint Mary and All Saints. Markets have been held in Chesterfield since at least 1165 when the Sheriff of Derbyshire recorded an amount of £1 2s 7d from the market, but the town's Market Charter wasn't granted until 1204. Today the market has grown to be one of the biggest in the country.

The Chesterfield Museum and Art Gallery traces the town's history from the day the Romans marched up Ryknield Street and built a fort, through the Industrial Revolution and the arrival of the railways (which brought George Stephenson to Chesterfield) right up to the present day. Pick up a Town Trail from the Visitor Information Centre and discover some of the less well known but equally interesting places of interest in the town centre, such as Secker's House and number 2 St Mary's Gate.

We then visit Renishaw Hall, built in 1625 by George Sitwell (1601–67) who, in 1653, was High Sheriff of Derbyshire. The Sitwell fortune was made as colliery owners and ironmasters from the 17th to the 20th centuries. Substantial alterations and the addition of the west and east ranges were made to the building for Sir Sitwell Sitwell by Joseph Badger of Sheffield between 1793 and 1808 and further alterations were made in 1908 by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

The stunning Italianate gardens (winner of the HHA/Christie's Garden of the Year 2015) were laid out in the late 19th Century by Sir George Sitwell. He was the brilliantly eccentric great-grandfather of the current owner Alexandra Sitwell. Walk around the formal garden enjoying the lawns and borders. Take a stroll down the lime avenue to see “The Angel of Fame”. Relax on one of the benches taking time to take in the beauty and tranquility of the gardens.

Venture further afield through the woodland and down to the lakes. See “the classical temple” and other areas of interest on the way. The lakes are a haven for wildlife; look out for butterflies, dragonflies and birds. Follow the path round the lake to take in the stunning views, and then up through the woods back to the lawns.

The current owner of Renishaw is Alexandra Sitwell, daughter of the late Sir Reresby and Lady Sitwell. Her extraordinary family have lived at Renishaw for nearly 400 years. The Sitwells have always been avid collectors and patrons of the arts and the history of the family is filled with writers, innovators and eccentrics. Perhaps the most famed of the Sitwells were the prolific writers Edith, Osbert and Sacheverell.

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