Chatsworth has kicked off its 40th country fair with three action-packed days of entertainment.
The country fair, held in the grounds of the 17th Century stately home in the heart of the Derbyshire Dales, attracts thousands of visitors each year.
Shows include cookery demonstrations from famous and local chefs, interactive rural crafts, and traditional country pursuits.
This year, renowned gardener and presenter Alan Titchmarsh is the fair’s president, and will launch his new book, Chatsworth, The Gardens and the People Who Made Them.
Other events include hot air balloon flights, mounted games, stunt teams and daring aerobatics.
Chatsworth has kicked off its 40th country fair with three action-packed days of entertainment (pictured)
The West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service Band perform at Chatsworth House, in their brilliant red uniform
Spectators have already seen the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery Four Gun Musical Drive – which showed off astonishing high-speed manoeuvres.
While the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service Band also performed, as too did fearless riders in the Mounted Games, an agility and skills demonstration performed on fast ponies.
Throughout the weekend, famous chefs Dame Mary Berry and James Martin will run live cookery demonstrations.
So too will local chefs from renowned Indian gastropub Elephant and Peacock in Duffield, and Derby’s Lotus Indian Kitchen.
This year, traditional fairground rides will sit alongside a climbing wall, bungee trampolines, zorb balls, and exotic animal sessions, offering the chance to meet and learn about mammals, reptiles and birds.
Event organiser, Sarah Green, said: ‘We feel privileged to have the opportunity to put on an event that brings together friends and family of all ages for a wonderful blend of excitement, entertainment and culinary inspiration while celebrating local producers, makers and all that the countryside has to offer.
‘So many people return year after year, and we can’t wait to welcome everyone to help us celebrate our 40th-anniversary event.
‘Come rain or shine, we’re working hard to make sure this is a country fair to remember.’
Grade I listed Chatsworth House is one of the country’s top stately homes and is set in a stunning 35,000-acre estate.
Chatsworth House, which has been home to the Cavendish family since 1549, reopened its doors in 2018 following its biggest restoration project in 200 years.
The 10-year long programme saw ‘priceless’ paintings restored, brickwork scrubbed and turrets rebuilt. Dentistry tools were apparently used to scrape out mortar in between huge blocks in the Derbyshire stately home’s walls.
Alan Titchmarsh addresses the crowd at Chatsworth House as he is the president for this year and has also written a book on Chatsworth
The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery Four Gun Musical Drive at Chatsworth House, performing in front of a huge crowd
A rider falls during the Mounted Games, an agility and skills demonstration performed on fast ponies
The Royal British Legion Parachute Display Team at Chatsworth House, livening up the bleak summer’s day
The house and garden were built by Sir William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick in 1555. There are 126 rooms. More than 600,000 people a year flock to the historic property in the Peak District.
Chatsworth opens each year from late March through to Christmas and closes in early January. Throughout the makeover period, it remained open to the public, with different sections shut off.
In 2018, The Daily Mail reported that the renovation was partly carried out because the Duke of Devonshire had no wifi, which in turn triggered the costly refurbishment.
Set in the Derbyshire Dales, four miles from Bakewell, it stands on the River Derwent.
Chatsworth opens each year from late March through to Christmas and closes in early January
Much of the action of the fair takes place in Chatsworth’s incredible grounds, with the house in the background
People can be seen gesturing to their gundogs during the Gundog Team Test at the Chatsworth Country Fair in Bakewell, Britain, 01 September 2023
The house holds major collections of paintings, furniture, Old Master drawings, neoclassical sculptures and books.
It also boasts ancient Roman and Egyptian sculpures and works by Rembrant and Lucian Freud.
Meanwhile it also features a bust of Matthew Macfadyen, aka Mr Darcy.
The Darcy connection is one of the reasons some 600,000 people visit Chatsworth, the palatial Derbyshire seat of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, each year.
It is owned by the Chatsworth House Trust, an independent charitable foundation formed in 1981, on behalf of the Cavendish family.
Macfadyen starred with Keira Knightley in the 2005 hit film of Jane Austen’s Pride And Prejudice, and the mansion stood in for Darcy’s grand family seat, Pemberley.