It is widely believed that Shottle Hall was a house built for love, as a secret romantic hideaway for the Duke of Devonshire.
The hall is certainly part of the Chatsworth Estate, and it was built in the time of the Sixth Duke, the so-called Bachelor Duke, who was famous for having a string of mistresses.
We will never know for sure if the underground passageway, discovered blocked with rubble during renovations at the turn of this century, was a secret entrance and exit for anyone avoiding prying eyes…?
It is an intriguing thought, but whatever the myths, records show that the Hall was built in 1841 as The Lodge and became home to John Adsetts, a farm bailiff who collected the rents from those working on the estate and paid their dues to Chatsworth.
Designed in such proportions that it reflected the vast estate under Adsetts’ jurisdiction, it was built in a post-Regency style, reportedly by an architect called George Compton.
Key to its design are its large windows, which to this day offer stunning views down the hill into the Ecclesbourne Valley across land that was at one time part of Shotley Park, a large deer park owned for hunting by the Duchy of Lancaster.
By the time of the 1881 Census, those views would have been enjoyed by Walter Stuart, the Master of Blantyre and a Captain in the 1st Sutherland Rifles, who lived at the hall.
He was a colourful character, a proud Scot who kept a herd of Highland Cattle in the fields outside and was once fined for racing his horse and cart as he tried to beat the steam train travelling from nearby Cowers Lane Station into Derby.
Captain Stuart’s time at the Hall gave it a direct link to the nobility of the day. His grandmother, the Duchess of Sutherland, was herself the grandchild of Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire, whose life story was portrayed in the film The Duchess, starring Keira Knightley.
Over the years, the various occupants of the hall have left their own architectural mark, until nearly 10 years ago when its life as a wedding venue and five star hotel began and it underwent a multi-million pound renovation project to restore it to its former glory.
It was also during this process that the Hall began to give up its secrets, including the discovery of a vaulted underground reservoir used to store rainwater, a stone trough, complete with the initials “DD” and now given pride of place in the courtyard car park, and a certain underground passageway leading from the cellars in the direction of the fields behind the house…
