Hi Friends,

On my first research trip to England my husband and I visited beautiful Chatsworth House in the Peak District where we spent two days exploring and enjoying this lovely estate.

The first day we attended the Chatsworth Country Fair held on the grounds of the estate, and we had a delightful time experiencing English country life with bagpipers, highland dancing, hunting dog demonstrations, horsemanship demonstrations, birds of prey demonstrations, and saw all kinds of country clothing, traditional food, and crafts for sale. There was a fun antique car parade, and several historic military vehicles to view. And almost everyone brought their dog along. They were all very well behaved and seemed to enjoy the fair as much as their masters.

On the second day we toured the house and grounds and enjoyed learning about the history of the family who had lived there for so many years. The rooms were filled with beautiful furniture, paintings, and sculptures. Each room seemed more amazing than the last.

Chatsworth house may look familar to you because it was the location used for Mr. Darcy’s Pemberly in the latest version of Pride and Prejudice. With that movie in mind, my favorite part of the house was the long sculpture gallery. As I walked through I could just imagine Elizabeth Bennett  finding the statue of Mr. Darcy and seeing him in a new light. The gardens, fountains, and reflecting pool were all lovely too!

Our two days at Chatsworth gave me a unique view into English country life and were wonderful inspiration for my novels! This month I’ll be working on revisions for A Refuge at Highland Hall, which comes out October 20th. I’m also researching a new series that I hope to set in Northumberland, England, in the early 1900s. Would you like to see more photos of my trips to England? Just click on over to my Research Page. Would you like to know more about my books? Here’s the link for book info.

Happy Reading!

Carrie