Although we didn't have a lot of time to visit Edensor I was pleased that we were able to park in the shade of a walled bank by St. Peter's Church and take a look around.
This small estate village which is pronounced 'Ensor' is set in parkland owned by the Devonshire family and the stately Chatsworth House is only a short walk away. The original village was located elsewhere, between the river and the road through the park. The sixth Duke of Devonshire decided to rebuild and remodel it within a gated and walled enclosure where thirty-three houses could accommodate mainly Chatsworth staff and pensioners. Joseph Paxton who remodelled and landscaped the gardens at Chatsworth chose the site for the new village and John Robertson of Derby provided the designs which he had in a book of house plans. It's thought that the Duke looked through the book and chose designs ranging from Norman to Jacobean, Swiss-style to Italian villas. The 14th century church was retained, but only about 30 years after the completion of the model village it was replaced by a much larger church designed by George Gilbert Scott. It was built on high ground and the tall spire can be seen from many directions when walking nearby in Chatsworth Estate.
the entrance to the village
The village green looking back towards the entrance to the village
and the parkland of Chatsworth.
one of the houses by the entrance gate
a view of one of the houses from the top of the bank
by the flight of steps to the north entrance porch of the church
detail of one of the entrance porches of a house
the back entrance to the churchyard
Joseph Paxton and Kathleen Kennedy, the sister of the late US President Kennedy who was married to the eldest son of the 10th Duke, are buried in the churchyard, but again there wasn't time to look for them on this occasion. The interior of the church and the Cavendish monuments must be interesting to see. Here is a link to read more - St Peter's Church, Edensor.
Leaving Chatsworth Estate I hope that we can return sometime.
I hope you enjoyed a glimpse of Edensor and some of the houses there. Have a good day!