Stars at Chatsworth literary festival

The three-day event is inspired by the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire’s passion for the arts and will feature a stellar line-up of more than 20 speakers drawn from the literary world, art, tv, museums and journalism.

Speakers include Turner Prize winner Grayson Perry, author and filmmaker Hannah Rothschild, BBC Arts Editor Will Gompertz, and the Duke of Devonshire, who will be talking about the Devonshire Collection, one of Europe’s most significant art collections.

The Duke of Devonshire said: “Over the past few years, Chatsworth has developed a fantastic programme of arts-related exhibitions and events, which has been very well received.

“We are delighted that the Chatsworth Festival will be joining this programme in 2015, giving our visitors the opportunity to hear some of the world’s best authors, journalists and artists share their thoughts and experiences.”

Chatsworth has a long association with the literary world. The Duke of Devonshire owns the antiquarian bookshop Heywood Hill in Mayfair where his aunt Nancy Mitford, author of Love in a Cold Climate, worked during WWII, while his mother Deborah Cavendish was a successful published author of more than a dozen books including Wait for Me and Tearing Haste.

Art Out Loud is the latest addition to a burgeoning arts scene at Chatsworth and the event will run alongside the tenth anniversary of the Beyond Limits monumental sculpture exhibition in the garden starting in September.

Earlier this year the Make Yourself Comfortable exhibition of contemporary seating takes place in the house and the Grand Tour programme of exhibitions and events takes place in conjunction with Nottingham Contemporary, the Harley Gallery and Derby Museums.

A full programme of speakers and talks for the Chatsworth Festival will be announced in June. Tickets go on sale from June 9 at www.chatsworth.org priced at £12.50 per session and including entry to garden. Chatsworth will run a Festival Bookshop, selling recently published and other books by a selection of the speakers.

n Chatsworth has been chosen as a finalist in the Large Visitor Attraction category of Visit England’s Excellence Awards – a celebration of the very best of English Tourism.

The winner will be announced at a glittering Awards Ceremony at the Sage Centre in Gateshead on May 9.

The Large Visitor Attraction category covers visitor attractions of all kinds, who receive over 50,000 visitors per annum. Chatsworth is facing competition for the top prize from Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, Liverpool Cathedral, The Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall and the Roman Baths and Pump Room in Bath, Somerset.

James Berresford, chief executive of VisitEngland said: “It’s been another successful year for our Excellence Awards as we’ve received hundreds of applications of an extremely high standard.

“That’s why all the finalists should be incredibly proud that they’ve been short-listed against such tough competition. I’d like to congratulate all the finalists who now represent the top five in their category in England and wish them all the very best of luck on Awards night at the Sage Centre in Gateshead - a spectacular venue to celebrate the industry’s best.”