Completed in 1582 for Bess of Hardwick and designed by the Elizabethan architect Robert Smythson, the unique Chatsworth Hunting Tower stands 400 feet above the House and on the edge of Stand Wood. It is the most impressive survivor from the period and an incredible example of Elizabethan architecture.
Built either as a banqueting house or a summerhouse, the Hunting Tower was also used by the ladies to watch the hounds whilst hunting, as the name suggests. It also gives views of the deer park. The Tower’s panoramic views are breath-taking and look out onto the park designed by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown for the 4th Duke during the mid 1700s.
The occupation of the Hunting Tower was typically vt members of the estate staff, and in more recent times, the Duke’s nephew took up residency there. However, after an extensive period of repairs and refurbishment which finished in 2003, the Hunting Lodge is now available to be let as a holiday home.
There are a range of walks around Stand Wood, parts of which are thought to have survived from medieval times. There is also a public footpath up to the Hunting Lodge, and a range of permissive footpaths through the wood.
Read about the Hunting Tower’s listing on Historic England: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1372877
Information on walks in Stand Wood: https://www.chatsworth.org/park/stand-wood/
Chatsworth’s Guidelines for the park: https://www.chatsworth.org/park/enjoying-the-park/