2018 will see Chatsworth House and Garden presented in its full glory following the culmination of the 10-year long restoration project. The £32.7 million programme of restoration and conservation began in 2005 and is one of the largest projects undertaken at Chatsworth since 1828. A special exhibition will reveal how the work has taken place and celebrate the skills of the craftspeople who have played their part to ensure Chatsworth is preserved for many more hundreds of years.

Key dates for the diary for the 2018 season include:

Chatsworth Renewed: The house past, present and future: 24 March–21 October
Chatsworth Renewed will celebrate the house through the ages, and mark the completion of the largest restoration and conservation project ever undertaken at Chatsworth. From rebuilding the Belvedere turrets to replacing vast tracts of lead on the roof, and from carving the tiniest details in stone to replacing huge blocks in the walls; over the last decade Chatsworth has seen a monumental effort by teams of skilled men and women. Discover hidden stories and forgotten features as revealed through the insights of the skilled people involved, past and present. Explore conservation in action and understand how much care and effort goes into even the smallest piece of work. Finally, look forward to the future to explore what’s in store for the next 100 years.

Linder Sterling Exhibition: 24 March–21 October
Award-winning artist Linder Sterling has spent several months over winter 2017 immersing herself in the life of the Chatsworth Estate as the inaugural artist-in-residence. As well as creating a new image bank for future photo montages to take Chatsworth ‘out into the world’, some of the pieces created during her residency will go on display at Chatsworth.

Easter Eggstravaganza: 24 March-8 April
Spread throughout the house, garden and farmyard, there’s something for visitors of all ages to enjoy throughout the Easter holidays at Chatsworth. Along with the hugely popular Easter egg hunts taking place in the farmyard throughout Easter weekend, Eggspress Trailer rides and hands-on craft activities, the garden will be bursting with new life.

Dodson & Horrell Chatsworth International Horse Trials: 11–13 May
World-class competition, from elegant dressage and exciting show jumping to gripping cross country combine with entertainment for all the family in the beautiful surroundings of Chatsworth for three days of thrilling world-class equestrian action.

RHS Chatsworth Flower Show: 6–10 June
The newest show from the RHS returns to Chatsworth for the second year and blends tradition with unexpected, innovative design all set in an unforgettable location. Wednesday 6 June is exclusive for RHS members. Advance day tickets starting from £33.50 are now on sale for 2018. Accompanied children under 16 get in free.

Chatsworth Country Fair: 31 August–2 September
The Chatsworth Country Fair is one of England’s most spectacular annual outdoor events. Held in the park, it attracts large crowds from all over the country. With a packed programme of grand ring entertainment, a cookery theatre and fine food village, there’s lots to see and do. Visitors will be spoilt for choice with military bands, stunt teams and aerobatics displays galore as well as the chance to have a go at a myriad of heritage country sports. There is also a packed offer for the younger members of the family, and not forgetting four-legged friends too!

Art Out Loud: 21–23 September
The Chatsworth Festival – Art Out Loud returns in 2018 for its fourth edition with talks by speakers from across the world of art.

Halloween: 27 October–4 November
Lurking around every corner at Chatsworth are spooktacular surprises for all ages this Halloween from Fright Flights to an abandoned coal tunnel.

Bonfire and fireworks: 2–3 November
One of the Midlands’ biggest and best firework displays for adults and children alike returns to Chatsworth for two nights, along with lighting of the bonfire, a children’s firework display and a grand finale firework display.

Christmas in the House: 10 November–6 January 2019
The house will be transformed for Christmas once again with beautiful festive decorations; show-stopping fir trees and twinkly lights. The theme for 2018 will be announced in September 2018.

Christmas Markets: 16 November-4 December
Set on Lodge Hill, the Chatsworth Christmas Market offers one of the best festive shopping experiences, with lots of artisan gifts and premium food and drink on offer.

For more information, please visit www.chatsworth.org

Chesterfield have been shortlisted for a national award to recognise the club that is the most welcoming to away supporters.

The Spireites are up against Southampton, Swansea City, Fulham, Cardiff City and Burton Albion for The Football Supporters’ Federation’s Away Day of the Year award.

A survey asked fans to score their away day based on a number of factors such as access, safety and security, the view, plus their overall experience.

Michael Dunford, Chief Executive of Chesterfield FC, said:-

“We are delighted to be in the running for this award. We are proud of the facilities we offer and we try our best to make it an enjoyable experience for all away supporters who visit the Proact.

“There is a cafe and a children’s play centre in the HUB and away supporters are encouraged to use these facilities. Away supporters receive a friendly welcome when they visit the cafe for a pre-match snack.

“The HUB, which is managed by the Chesterfield FC Community Trust, also features a Changing Places area for people with disabilities. The Proact is one of the few stadiums in the country to boast such a facility.”

A Carlisle United fan recently contacted the club to praise the staff in the ticket office and the matchday stewards for their help. He explained that they went out of their way to ensure that his young daughter, who has a disability, had an enjoyable, stress-free experience.

“I have followed Carlisle for over 40 years and the matchday experience must rank as amongst the best I have experienced at an ‘away’ ground,” he wrote. “I can’t speak highly enough of everyone we encountered.

“Your staff helped make the whole experience, which could have been quite stressful considering my daughter’s circumstances, very positive and left all of us with an excellent impression of Chesterfield FC. They were a credit to themselves and to the club.”

The club will be represented at the FSF Awards event next Monday night, which is being held at The Pavilion at The Tower of London.

Barrow Hill Roundhouse is getting ready for a very busy – and star studded – week in May 2018 as tickets go on sale for the hugely popular Rail Ale beer and music festival and it is announced that Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra are set to return to the unique venue for one night only.

Rail Ale 2018 will take place on Thursday 17^th, Friday 18^th and Saturday 19^th May 2018.  Advance tickets have now gone on sale priced at £5.00 for Thursday and £7.00 for Friday and Saturday.  A booking fee applies.   Entry includes a commemorative glass and programme.  Tickets will also go on sale locally on 1^st March 2018 and ticket outlets will be announced in due course.

Three days of fantastic entertainment are lined up: the judging of the coveted Beer of the Festival will take place on 17^th May along with opportunities to ‘Meet the Brewer’ and on 18^th and 19^th May between 12noon and 5pm the popular Rail Ale train will be running for visitors.

To quench the thirst there will be over 350 real ales from around the country including many brewed locally in Derbyshire and South Yorkshire, a great range of ciders and craft beers and the return of the incredibly popular Prosecco bar.

For music lovers there will be fantastic live music in the marquee and on the main stage from jazz and brass through acoustic, funk and soul to rock and roll.

The Food Court will be on hand to provide visitors with a tasty range of food to suit every appetite from pork pies to pancakes and hog roast to pizza; not forgetting the chocolate, the cheese and even coffee!

Entry to the Festival also includes entry to the museum and the new exhibitions and interactive displays provided courtesy of the Heritage Lottery Fund project that was completed in September 2017.  The dedicated free bus service will also be running from Chesterfield railway station into the Festival on all three days.  For more information on the event, please visit www.railalefestival.com.

A week after Rail Ale, Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra will make a hugely anticipated return visit to the unique Roundhouse venue on 26^th May 2018 for one night only.  The Roundhouse will once again rock to the sound of Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra featuring Gilson Lavis, guest vocalists Ruby Turner and Louise Marshall and a special guest star – to be announced later.  On his last visit in September 2014 the concert was a sell-out.

Tickets are now on sale priced at £39.00 plus a booking fee. 

For more information on the concert please visit www.engineshedconcerts.com or www.barrowhill.com.

Photos by Mary McCartney

Chesterfield Museum is hosting an event for members of the borough’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities to come forward with their stories and pictures ahead of a new exhibition.

The museum, owned and operated by Chesterfield Borough Council, is working with the charity Derbyshire LGBT+ to mount the exhibition supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund early next year.

People can come along to the museum on Saturday 9 December from 10am to 1pm to discuss their experiences and bring along any pictures or items to help chart the social history of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities in Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Councillor Steve Brunt, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for town centres and visitor economy, said:-

“Chesterfield Museum charts the social history of Chesterfield and we’re pleased to be working with LGBT+ Derbyshire on this new exhibition to tell the stories of LGBT communities in the area – many of which have been untold.”

Greg Pickup, from LGBT+ Derbyshire, added:-

“Anybody from the LGBT community in or around Chesterfield who has a story to tell or has items or photos which relate to the history of our community is encouraged to come forward.

“We’re also keen for anyone to come along who would like to volunteer or help with the project.”

Anyone who cannot make the event can contact the museum by email: museum@chesterfield.gov.uk or call 01246 345727.

Chesterfield Museum is open each Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10am to 4pm. Admission is free.

The influential British artist Linder Sterling has been welcomed as the inaugural artist-in-residence at Chatsworth ahead of a major exhibition of her work next year.

Linder – who has just received the largest art prize in the UK –  has exhibited internationally, and is one of only three artists to be the subject of a major touring retrospective, originating from the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville in Paris.

The work informed by her time at Chatsworth – the first ever artist residency at the stately home – is to be shown at Nottingham Contemporary (24 March—17 June 2018) as part of a wider exhibition and major retrospective titled The House of Fame. An exhibition of some of the pieces created from her residency will also be shown at Chatsworth (24 March-21 October 2018).

The announcement comes just after Linder received the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award which is intended to give artists the freedom to develop their creative ideas and to grow both personally and professionally.

Linder has worked with the photographic image for over four decades. She works with found photographs from the early 20th century to the present day, utilising the techniques of photomontage to create new imagery and new meanings distinct from her source material. Linder’s photomontages are often incorporated within other disciplines, including fashion, ballet, cosmetics, performance, film and interior design (see accompanying images).

During her residency, Linder will immerse herself in the life of the estate for six months, experiencing the landscape, changing seasons and everyday lives of those who live and work at Chatsworth. She will create a new image bank to provide a resource for future photo montages as a way of taking Chatsworth ‘out into the world’. Other ideas she is exploring include: producing an incense from the aromatic woods and plants on the estate; creating images on textiles in collaboration with fashion designers; recording oral histories, and using the everyday sounds of the house within musical compositions.

Linder said:-

“After my first month at Chatsworth, I’ve already learned how to turn back the hands of time, both literally and metaphorically. At the end of October, I turned the hands of the church clock backwards to mark the passing of British Summer Time. The hands of the church clock groaned, as if they knew that they were moving contra natura. I’ve also become adept at time travel, studying various treasures from the collection in order to steer my course through centuries past. Time here folds in upon itself, it’s a very heady sensation, one that’s hard to resist. The new works that I’m making in situ will mirror this and all of the above.”

The Duke of Devonshire said:-

“Chatsworth is pleased and proud to welcome the artist and musician Linder Sterling as our very first artist-in-residence. We are tremendously excited to invite Linder to interpret Chatsworth through her own particular lens as she seeks to create new ways to communicate and transport experience of her encounters beyond Chatsworth.”

Chatsworth will also be making a number of loans from its collection for the Nottingham Contemporary exhibition which forms part of the Grand Tour – supported by the Arts Council – bringing together cultural organisations across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

Photoraphy by Emile Holba

Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire is to spearhead a new national campaign worth more than £1.2 million to promote the challenging, yet comfortable experience offered by England’s great walking trails to key overseas markets.

The official tourist board has secured £1 million from VisitEngland’s £40 million Discover England Fund – matched by £200,000 from the private sector – to sell the magic of seven long-distance walking trails, cosy pubs, locally-brewed beers, fine local food and welcoming accommodation providers.

Discover England’s Great Walking Trails will develop the international appeal of the Pennine Way, South West Coast Path, North Downs Way, Hadrian’s Wall, Norfolk Coast Path, Cleveland Way and Cotswold Way for potential visitors from Germany, The Netherlands, France and the USA by:

• Creating walking tour itineraries for each trail, with a selection of three- to 14-day options
• Putting together a programme of trade and travel show visits, PR and media familiarisation visits
• Developing relationships with the travel trade and tour operators to stimulate group bookings in target markets
• Increasing the number of visits from the target markets by two per cent each year to 2024
• Raising the profile and improving England’s image in the target markets, including the variety and quality of the country’s food and drink

It will build on the success of a pilot project led by the South West Coast Path Association during year one of the Discover England Fund initiative, which created bookable walking breaks along the 630 miles long coastal trail through Dorset, Devon and Cornwall for the German and Dutch markets.

“We are delighted to have won this bid from the Discover England Fund to lead a campaign to develop world class walking holidays in England for a wider audience,” said Jo Dilley, the tourist board’s Managing Director.

“It’s a really exciting opportunity to bring in overseas visitors who enjoy challenging walking and want to experience the real English countryside, but like to eat well, sample quality local beers and stay in comfort at the end of the day.

“It’s also sure to appeal to keen walkers from across the UK who want to visit, stay in and explore some of England’s loveliest destinations.

“We’re now looking forward to working with all our public and private sector partners to raise the profile of all seven routes, both internationally and nationally.”

Sally Balcombe, Chief Executive, VisitEngland, said:-

“The quality of submissions to our Discover England Fund reflects the innovation in product development thriving across the country’s tourism landscape.

“The successful projects will boost international and domestic growth, creating a step-change in the industry and spreading the economic benefits of tourism across England.

“This project will package walking trails up with cosy pubs and accommodation, creating itineraries that will show off England’s hospitality along with its outstanding rural and coastal beauty.”

Marketing Peak District & Derbyshire will work in close partnership with other tourist boards, the South West Coast Path Association, Local Enterprise Partnerships, councils, transport providers, the National Trust, National Parks, the British Beer and Pub Association, Stay in a Pub/Cask Marque, The Camping and Caravanning Club and other businesses to deliver the project from now until March 2019.