Winter's gloom banished by Floral Fanfare
A SECOND spring is set to banish the winter gloom on Chatsworth Estate this Christmas.
The Dowager Duchess of Devonshire has arranged for St Peter's Church in Edensor to bloom from December 5 to 11 in a Floral Fanfare to raise money for the fabric of the building, which is at the heart of life on the Estate.
The church will be decorated with fresh fragrant white lilies, roses, gladioli, carnations from South America, orchids from Holland and many more from all over the world, by award-winning Darley Dale florist Robert Young and his family.
"What is lovely is that it's in the winter. You come in out of a dark gloomy old evening and there is this fairyland of flowers and lights," said the Dowager Duchess.
And one of the speakers at a series of events to support the fund-raising is Adam Nicolson, who knows a thing or two about keeping stately homes alive, both for our heritage and our enjoyment.
Grandson of poet, gardener and writer Vita Sackville-West, he will give an illustrated talk entitled "Living with the National Trust" on December 8. Earlier this year he presented a BBC TV series on the garden at Sissinghurst which his grandmother created and is now managed by the National Trust.
"He's a most brilliant speaker and is very funny. He's absolutely all alive," said the Dowager Duchess.
Having members of the original family live in a stately home is of prime importance, she believes, just as Britain's importance as a tourist nation depends to a great extent on the world's fascination with our monarchy.
"The National Trust are very aware of that," she said. "They very much try to keep the family in the house, but of course it's not easy. Picture yourself in your own house with no influence on how it should look, how it should be run and all the rest of it."
Sissinghurst is a series of small private homes for Mr Nicolson and others dotted among its wonderful towers – as well as being an international tourist attraction.
"People come and see what are the most famous gardens in these islands, but you've only got to look through the windows and there's everybody having lunch!"It's on a completely different scale to Chatsworth. I've lived here for nearly 50 years and there can be a thousand people in the house and nobody would have any idea if you were there."
Mr Nicolson has strong ideas, however, about the way it should be run, especially the surrounding farm and kitchen garden – the kind of organic self-sufficiency and return to nature which stately homes like Chatsworth have been pioneering for years.
"Kitchen gardens were much laughed at, and an awful lot of them were ploughed up or had trees planted. Now people can hardly wait to get them back," said the Dowager Duchess.
The festival, which also features a sold-out conversation between the Dowager and her friend, the playwright Alan Bennett, will provide vital funds for St Peter's.
"It's of the first importance, and has been ever since the Seventh Duke built what is there now," she said.
"It's much too big for the village, but very well used for weddings and baptisms and all those things."
And living history is important there too, with a love of the 17th Century Common Book of Prayer playing its part.
"A number of the congregation come because they use the old language, and a lot of people just can't bear the new stuff that has gone into the Prayer Book," she said.
And another highlight will be a conversation with the Dowager Duchess herself, conducted on December 10 by Chatsworth's head of communications Robert Seligman, a brilliant speaker who has lectured on the House all over the world.
But what will be revealed is a surprise to everyone – including his interviewee:"I'm soon going to be 90, so whether it will be about my life in general or not I'm not sure. It makes it more fun if you don't know."
* Proceeds will help buy electrics for the church and renovate its organ, with donations going to Ashgate Hospice, the Alzheimer's Society and Bishop Hilary's Immanuel Kindergarten in Sudan.* Robert Young, the talented Matlock florist, will be creating 27 fantastic floral displays themed on Christmas carols and festive songs.
* A series of evening events starting at 7.30pm will be held during the festival.
* Saturday December 5: Matlock Band perform their "Christmas Fanfare".
* Sunday December 6 will see a family communion, 10.30am, and a candle-lit Advent Carol Service, 4pm.
* Monday, December 7: Sin Hicks, the co-principal double bass player in the Northern Sinfonia, entertains with "Amazing Bass".
* Tuesday, December 8: Adam Nicolson.
* Wednesday, December 9: The Bakewell Band perform their rousing "Christmas Carillon".
* Please ring 07929 098 715 for tickets.
* The Thursday and Friday events are sold out.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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