On our way to London Town....

We stopped to tour Chatsworth House.....

Like everything else in the UK (it seems) Chatsworth House is undergoing a renovation - in this case they are cleaning the stonework - so a big portion of the house was covered over......but unlike a lot of places, they allowed (and encouraged) photographs - and everywhere you looked there was something totally gorgeous or outrageous to photograph!

Walking up the drive with our guide.

From the entrance staircase....

to the frames of the mirrors....

the chandelier.....

and even some windows......were gilded.

Turns out the windows on this side of the house are gilded to catch the morning sun - go figure!

 This is just a small sample of the photos I took in Chatsworth - what a place - totally modern art mixed in with ancient tapestries......from the sublime to the ridiculous.....with an outdoor cafe and a restaurant pavilion - these guys know how to market themselves!  The parking lot was huge - and it was obvious that this was a day out destination for locals who arrived with their dogs for a wander in the 105 acres of garden.  You can stay at a nearby hotel or rent a holiday cottage on the estate - they have it all!  Despite all the totally in your face marketing of this place, I would go back again because our short visit just wasn't enough!

Talk about a contrast....our next stop was....