Edensor, set in the midst of the splendour of the Chatsworth estate in the heart of the Peak District, has an unusual claim to fame. Most of the villages in the national park can trace their history back across many centuries, but Edensor has only been in it's current location for a fraction of that time.
Around 200 years ago, the 6th Duke of Devonshire decided, having spent a fortune renovating Chatsworth House, that the view was spoilt by the neighbouring village of Edensor. So he ordered for the cottages to be demolished and rebuilt around 1 mile further away from the house. All except one cottage, which remains in its original location beside the entrance drive to Chatsworth. It's rumoured that an elderly resident was given pity by the Duke as he was reluctant to move. Whether this is true, or the Duke couldn't see this cottage from the house as it was below the crest of a hill, who knows!
Joseph Paxton, most famous for building the Crystal Palace in London for the Great Exhibition in 1851, was tasked with designing the newly rebuilt village. Legend has it that one of Paxton's colleagues presented the Duke with a portfolio of unique designs for the properties. The Duke was too busy and didn't even open the portfolio, instead suggesting that they built one of each. So the village has 33 properties which are all entirely different in style from each other. Some are Tudor styled, some Italianate, some Swiss, some have turrets, some have fortifications...
Paxton. himself is buried in the churchyard, with a slight irony that his tomb is larger than any of the Dukes and Duchesses buried close by, for whom he worked.
Perhaps the most notable grave in the churchyard is that of Kathleen Kennedy, the younger sister of President Kennedy. There is also a stone beside the grave which marks the visit made by JFK in June 1963, shortly before he was killed. That visit was alleged to have annoyed the Duchess as the president's helicopter frightened away her chickens!
Around 200 years ago, the 6th Duke of Devonshire decided, having spent a fortune renovating Chatsworth House, that the view was spoilt by the neighbouring village of Edensor. So he ordered for the cottages to be demolished and rebuilt around 1 mile further away from the house. All except one cottage, which remains in its original location beside the entrance drive to Chatsworth. It's rumoured that an elderly resident was given pity by the Duke as he was reluctant to move. Whether this is true, or the Duke couldn't see this cottage from the house as it was below the crest of a hill, who knows!
Joseph Paxton, most famous for building the Crystal Palace in London for the Great Exhibition in 1851, was tasked with designing the newly rebuilt village. Legend has it that one of Paxton's colleagues presented the Duke with a portfolio of unique designs for the properties. The Duke was too busy and didn't even open the portfolio, instead suggesting that they built one of each. So the village has 33 properties which are all entirely different in style from each other. Some are Tudor styled, some Italianate, some Swiss, some have turrets, some have fortifications...
Paxton. himself is buried in the churchyard, with a slight irony that his tomb is larger than any of the Dukes and Duchesses buried close by, for whom he worked.
Perhaps the most notable grave in the churchyard is that of Kathleen Kennedy, the younger sister of President Kennedy. There is also a stone beside the grave which marks the visit made by JFK in June 1963, shortly before he was killed. That visit was alleged to have annoyed the Duchess as the president's helicopter frightened away her chickens!