Radbourne Hall, Derbyshire: The Palladian masterpiece reborn as a 21st century family home

In 2014, following the death of her mother at the age of 102, Lady Chichester inherited the fine 1740s Palladian house that is Radbourne Hall. She descends from the Chandos-Pole family, which can trace its connections with the estate back to the Middle Ages.

At the time of her inheritance, the fabric of the building was visibly failing and the hall ceiling was sagging as the result of the movement of a structural steel inserted during the course of 20th-century repairs.

In 2017–20, under the direction of Peregrine Bryant Architects, the whole building underwent a far-reaching renovation which we wrote about in March 2022 . The roof was renewed, fire partitions and insulation inserted and the services throughout replaced.

As well as respecting the most important interiors — which include a fine saloon with paintings by Joseph Wright of Derby commissioned in 1771–72 — the work has sought to make the house liveable as a modern home.

To this end, a kitchen in a contemporary idiom has been created in the former dining room and a new external staircase added to the back of the building. This creates a balcony off the saloon and also directly connects the first-floor rooms with the garden.

One of the planning conditions of the stair was that its structure should not touch the historic fabric. It is, therefore, cantilevered to leave a tiny gap between the old and new work.

The restoration by Sir James and Lady Chichester has also involved the careful repair and renewal of the interior decoration in the bedrooms that were created in the 1950s by the designer John Fowler.

This exemplary project has won several awards, from the Georgian Group, Historic Houses and the Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust.

Read Oliver Gerrish's full Country Life article on Radbourne House