Lesser mortals turn out their attics and find an old tv, a broken Lazyboy and two boxes of old crockery. The Duke of Devonshire's attics are the length of entire village streets, and now he has decided to have a bit of a cleanout– he needs the space, he explained from his 300-room home (Chatsworth House) in Derbyshire...HA!
The duke has uncovered a bookcase concealing a door through which the Prince Regent passed to visit his mistress, a 19th-century Russian leather sleigh, a dining table that would comfortably seat 60 and a red carpet 62ft (19 metres) in length. There are also enough architectural fittings to rebuild the lost interiors of Devonshire House in London, including the room in which one of his most famous ancestors, Georgiana, lay in state.
Collectors and the merely curious are expected to flock from all over the world to the public viewing in October, before the three-day sale being held by Sotheby's at Chatsworth. The total estimate for the 20,000 objects to be sold in 1,400 lots is £2.5m, but that's a very conservative guess. The estimates for individual lots range from £20 to £300,000.
When the present duke took over the house, after the death of his father six years ago, he found the attics so stuffed with the accumulated hoardings of five centuries of Devonshires that some of the doors could barely be forced open. The attics and other storerooms held not only the discarded or unfashionable contents of Chatsworth, but of a string of other palatial Devonshire homes: Lismore Castle in Ireland and Bolton Abbey in Yorkshire, along with Chiswick House and Hardwick Hall, both now museums; Burlington House, which now houses the Royal Academy, and their other vast London home. Devonshire House where Georgiana, their most famous duchess, reigned.
Devonshire House, designed by William Kent, was demolished almost a century ago in the 1920s and acres of interior fittings, including panelling, skirting boards, window frames, mirrors, doors and fireplaces were saved from the demolition and went into the Chatsworth attics.
The great saloon of Devonshire House was described by one awed visitor as "a veritable fairyland".
In 1806 queues of mourners filed past the body of Georgiana, famous for her wit, charm, political meddling and epic gambling, as she lay in state. The sale will include a spectacular white marble fireplace from her room, estimated at up to £300,000.
The sale will also have a witness to a spectacular royal scandal, the massive bookcase which later graced the nursery at Chatsworth before being relegated to the attics. Deborah Mitford, the Dowager Duchess and a historian of the family, recalled that it was peculiarly unsuitable for a nursery, concealing the door through which the future George IV passed to meet the Roman Catholic Maria Fitzherbert in the next room at Devonshire House. He later secretly married her, before putting her aside for a more politically suitable marriage. The bookcase is estimated at up to £80,000.
On a more modest level, there will also be crates of old crockery and cutlery, small mountains of trunks and suitcases and boxes of fragments of elaborate plasterwork.
The announcement of the Chatsworth sale comes a week after what was dubbed a "garage sale" of bits and bobs from Althorp, the childhood home of Diana, Princess of Wales, which raised more than £20m at Christie's. It may become the new craze for the British aristocracy to clear out their attics and cellers and have garage sales. What fun, I'd love to be there.
Hi cutie...how ya doing?
ReplyDeleteBrian given you your jiggle dance yet [giggles]?
How's Nana feeling ? I just want to warn you to be careful when you go in her room...shit she may just out from behind the door and pinch you.haha I am full of it tonight.
I got so aggravated today trying to get on and post,and Dad wanted to talk with you...so around 4/5 PM it was okay, I know blogger was working they said it was a service error or some shit like that and it wasn't available at that time...I got on and told Dad and boy was he happy.
Hi Pic.
ReplyDeleteHi ya doing??
ReplyDeleteNo jiggle tonight. Just got in from visiting J and boys after karate.
ReplyDeleteIs your computer okay now?I know I need to clean up and defrag my files.
ReplyDeleteyou want to go to the garage sale like you said it would be great fun I think I have a couple of bucks.haha
ReplyDeleteNot my PC...I just kept getting error 509 but everything is fine now.
ReplyDeleteHow did karate go?
It did it once before and I ask blogger about it and thay said maybe they was updating.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm desperately in need of a gold-plated toilet and a diamond tiara.
ReplyDeleteThat marble fireplace sounds nice.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Blogger does that every once in a while.
How was your day? busy?
ReplyDeleteI am so glad my babysitter is back..I left them here and when I got back both was in that damn little pool with just their drawers on...HA !
ReplyDeleteI think I got some good news and might get some big time help with my bears.
I had a good day, went to the market and called Anita she said Henry was calling and Gil told her to tell him he was busy , I asked her what was he doing and she said nothing she thinks he was napping as usual.
ReplyDeleteI forgot I had a cousin that's a senator in DC and I saw her today and her brother is the new mayor of NO.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I had to go check on Nana. I heard a thump. It was just her cane dropping on the floor.
ReplyDeleteNoises like that frighten the life out of me. I've already been up close and personal to a heart attack.
ReplyDeleteThat's good it was only her cane...I know how your heart jumps in your throat when you hear something fall.
ReplyDeleteSweetie ...you have been up close and personal with a lot of illness that would bring down the strongest of men.
ReplyDeleteSo you think your cousin the mayor or your cousin the senator can help with your climate change group? Wouldn't that be cool?
ReplyDeleteThat must have been a cute picture to see both of them in the pool.
ReplyDeleteShe is a fighter for us in DC..her name is 'Mary Landrieu' I forgot all about her and His name is Mitchell J. Landrieu and he's the first white Mayor they had in 3 decades...that might best his ass til it turn black or brown like Jindel...Hahaha
ReplyDeleteI told her if she could give me some connections and used some of her influence and she okay.
ReplyDeleteGirl you have your toe in the door.Maybe you could get a statewide campaign started to lower your carbon footprint. Recycling organic garbage etc.
ReplyDeleteI don't know who's the kid around this place , dad jumped out and put his towel around him...it's just a kiddie poll about 8 feet round and 2 feet deep.
ReplyDeleteHe told me to tell you he left you a note.
Mitchell is one of nine children with five of his own. He is a lawyer and has been mayor of New Orleans since the third of May.
ReplyDeleteHe has quite a job ahead of him to restore a devastated city.
ReplyDeleteThat's the same thing she say and it could spread to all things in the environment and Gil could see to everything being kept legal so NAN call Gil...he said bring her over it will be nice seeing a friendly face, it's been about 6/7 months.
ReplyDeleteSee all my folks are baby makers..hahaha
ReplyDeleteMitch is one of the good guys..we campaign for him here, he's quite close to the family.
ReplyDeleteMary fought for Obama's health care bill ...she did a filibuster in the senate when he was trying to get it passed.
He was mayor through that oil spill fiasco. You never mentioned him.
ReplyDeleteHere I am asking Hedda to get in touch with Gre's people and never thought about Mary.
ReplyDeleteMary's father Moon was mayor of New Orleans too.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think about him at that time ...he was elected mayor on the &th Feb . but didn't take office til May...Matter of fact he has been low-key.
ReplyDeleteYes that was a quite awhile ago..Mitch is the first white mayor in 30 years.
ReplyDeleteApparently he won by a landslide.
ReplyDeleteI hope he is good for the city. They sure need a champion.
It's been said Mary's daddy bought her the senate seat, if so she is doing a grat job.
ReplyDeleteMary seems very dedicated according to what I am reading right now. She is a pretty little thing too.
ReplyDeleteIt was time for a change and he's not making a lot of waves but people says you can tell the difference and maybe he will take Jindel's job, we see to much of him. something about Jindel that just don't set right with me, he can't look at you in the eyes and keeps looking off when the camera is on him...have you seen him on TV?
ReplyDeleteYou must be looking at one of her older pictures...she's a little heavier now..
ReplyDeleteI wish whoever was doing those sites would keep up to date pictures .
ReplyDeleteI knew that was what you was going to do...
How did karate go for the twins ?I know they enjoyed it as usual.
ReplyDeleteBooby Jindal is the first non-white governor of La. ever. He seems okay. his record is above reproach. I guess you have one of your spooky feelings about him.
ReplyDeleteI have another picture post for FTBB and I have one for SH's just couldn't get them on today.
ReplyDeleteI don't knwo or heard anything about him..I just don't trust anyone that can't look me in the eye...nothing spooky to it.
ReplyDeleteNaturally I would look them up.Bobby Jindal, I already knew about. Your cousin would have to be very competitive to get to the governor's mansion.
ReplyDeleteI get feeling about people I care for most time I am right .
ReplyDeleteBut when you can't look a person in the eye when you are talking to them now that spooky and cause for concern...
I don't know if he wants it or not, I haven't seen Mitch in a few years and really don't know if I would vote for him if he run..
ReplyDeleteMary I know what she's about.
I just saw that I called him 'Booby' Jindal...Ha! No offense Mr Jindal...Just a typo.
ReplyDeleteDid you know Bobby turn the money down for our state when we need it for our schools ...anything Obama is for Bobby is against..as a person I guess he's okay but he reminds me of G.Bush.
ReplyDeleteThat's not as funny as his real name....'Piyush Amrit'. How do you get Bobby from that??
ReplyDeleteIf you notice we call tham all by there first name if we use the last name we don't use Mr./Ms.
ReplyDelete[giggles] we southerner's are so different and LA. is like 2 states..a noth and a south and I live in the north.
Weel you have to call him something that we can pronounce, wouldn't you just love to hear me say Plyush Amrit...it would sound like pussy armpit...Hahaha..I'm hot tonight.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you make me act like this and talk about the little skinny man..but he do have a pretty wife.
ReplyDeleteYou sure are different.But you're okay.
ReplyDeleteJakey and Sam had to lead the class as part of their leadership course. They took turns and they are pretty good teachers. They help teach the little five year olds too.
I'm signing off a bit early tonight Toots. I'm a little tired and have an early morning.
Have a good night and get some rest and maybe we won't fuss tomorrow...but who knows.
ReplyDeleteGoodnite and pleasent dreams and may they all come true.
See you tomorrow down by the old fishing hole.
GOODNITE...Hugs ...PIC
Kiss the Rock.
PPS: Don't forget to get you a hot cup of herbal tea...it will help you relax a bit.
ReplyDeleteI just saw a picture of Mary all dishevelled, under arrest for threatening to punch George Bush in the nose. Taken a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteShe just won an important decision in the senate
See I am not the only one in my family that loses their cool...Hahaha
ReplyDeleteYou are bad...That's why I like you so much...
Well,have a real good one PIC.
ReplyDeleteWe'll meet again somewhere, sometime.Perhaps over the rainbow.
I hope Gil is feeling a little more at peace today. When they are quiet, you know there is a lot going on inside of them.
Pleasant dreams and a nice tomorrow ...LUV PIC
The twins have learned well and they will continue to do a good job and I know you/J are so very proud of your babies.
ReplyDeletePS: Pussy Armpit was the first thing I thought of too....HA!
ReplyDeleteNite Sweetie and see you over the next hill.
ReplyDeleteNITE...HUGS & KISSES...PIC
Kiss the Rock.