The Library and Ante Library

The 6th Duke inherited his mother’s passion for books. He brought together the extant family collections and then set about increasing the size and quality of the library through various purchases. 

In 1815 he converted the 1st Duke’s Long Gallery into a room to hold his ever growing collection. Within 15 years he had commissioned Wyatville to remodel the space again and the present mahogany bookcases and the gallery running round three sides of the room are the result.

The ceiling, with plasterwork by Edward Goudge (active late 17th century) and paintings by Antonio Verrio (1636-1707) are the only part of the 1st Duke’s interior to have survived. 

Image 1: details from the ceiling. Image 2: view from one side of the gallery.

The enormous carpet, woven in three sections, is an Axminster and was designed to follow the painted roundels in the ceiling. 

Today there are over 17,000 books in the Library and Ante Library covering six centuries. It includes the majority of the autograph writings of the 17th century philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), the scientific manuscripts of Henry Cavendish (1731-1810), the man who calculated how to weigh the Earth, and some of the architectural library of the 3rd Earl of Burlington. 

“The books compose four libraries. One I found here, another in London, the third was Mr Henry Cavendish’s and the fourth, Dampier, Bishop of Ely’s”

- 6th Duke of Devonshire

“One of the ‘libraries’ to which the 6th Duke refers is that of Henry Cavendish, the eminent scientist and great eccentric. His manuscripts and library of scientific and other books are still at Chatsworth, each stamped with ‘H. Cavendish’ on the back of the title page.”

- Duchess Deborah

There are also medieval illuminated manuscripts and early printed books of the 15th and 16th century. In total the collection numbers some 40,000 volumes. Until the mid 20th century the Old Master Drawings were also stored here before they were removed to a special environmentally controlled store.

The furniture in the Library comes from many different family houses. The four book tables, two at each end of the room, were designed by William Kent for the Library at Chiswick. The large suite of seat furniture attributed to Morel and Hughes was brought from the Saloon at Devonshire House. In 2013 it was restored and reupholstered with a reweave of the original turquoise and gold silk brocade.

In 1964, the 11th Duke and Duchess added a door to conceal the stairway up to the gallery. The door holds a series of fake book spines with comedy titles like ‘Sideways through Derbyshire’ by Crabbe or ‘Consenting Adults’ by Abel N. Willing. The titles were chosen by Deborah Devonshire and her friend Paddy Leigh-Fermor.

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