Copyright © 2024 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
Mike Hume and I drove to Chatsworth House on the afternoon of August 5, 2024. This was after visiting the Buxton Opera House with Diana Walkden that morning.
The drive was wonderful, and we had just enough time to make a few brief stops. One quick stop was at the Bakewell Tart Shop. Nothing like eating your way through the UK, or the Hobbit Diet as I now call it!
Although the morning was somewhat overcast, blue skies began to appear as we neared Chatsworth House.
It was Louise Calf who assisted with the necessary introductions for our visit. We had met at the Tyne Theatre & Opera House conference last year. Calf is the theatre expert for Chatsworth House, a University of York doctoral candidate who is researching the history of the space and its scenery collection.
Calf introduced us to Fran Baker (Head of Archive and Library), who organized access for our visit on August 5. Baker and Elania Pieragostini (Senior Curator, Devonshire Collections) graciously took a substantial amount of time to show us to the theatre. They even took us up to the roof for a stunning view of the Chatsworth Estate and countryside!
Since our visit, Calf has shared an abundance of information, including William T. Hemsley invoices.
I am going to start with alterations to the hall, as it was not initially constructed as a theater. The following information is from a text panels at the entrance of the theatre:
The Theatre – Formerly Ballroom or Banqueting Room
This room was designed by Sir Jeffry Wyatville as a ballroom for the 6th Duk of Devonshire, and completed in 1832. The ceiling is decorated with the late 17th century painted panels by Sir James Thornhill and Louis Cheron. These were removed from the walls of the 1st Duke’s Long Gallery and adjacent Little Dining Room when they were converted into the Library and Ante Library of the 6th Duke. The two boxes and the gallery above, are part of the original furnishing of the room. One was used by Queen Victoria when she attended a ball here in 1843. The room was subsequently used for entertainment of various kinds. In 1896, the 8th Duke commissioned William Hemsley, a leading London Designer and supplier of ‘theatrical scenery and appliances’, to fit the room out as a theatre. He provided a permanent stage, stage equipment, a painted proscenium and front drop curtain, and a number of sets. Most of these remain, and are extremely rare survivors of late-19th century scenery. Between 1898 and 1907, the theatre was used so regularly during the winter visits of the Prince and Princesses of Wales (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra), with performance plays, dance and music to entertain the royal house party, that the press of that time dubbed it the ‘Theatre Royal’. From 1989 to 2005, the room was used for textile conservation, now moved elsewhere.
Chatsworth House records detail the fitting up of the ballroom for a theatre in 1896. Itemized invoices from the Midway Rail Company (for the carriage of goods) include lists of supplies, such as canvas frames, coil ropes, drum cable, canvas bundle, 5 packages of scenery, 200 chairs, and much more.
There is nothing quite like examining a scenic artist’s bill of sale for theatrical goods. Over the years, I have studied quite a few. It provides an amazing glimpse into material expenses, wages, and shipping logistics; a wonderful snapshot for any trade.
In Feb. 1896, a bill of sale was created at William T. Hemsley’s scenic studio for the Duke of Devonshire; itemizing the “making and painting” of both act drop and scenery collection. Stock scenery included Proscenium Drapery Wings, Profile Tormentors, Double Wings, Fireplace, Borders, Small Cloths, Mantle Piece, and Interiors (dark and light chambers).
I want to place these records within a much larger context. The contents of the Devonshire Collection Archives, held at Chatsworth, spans over 450 years. It details the lives, careers, and estate management of the Cavendish family, filling over 6,000 boxes! This, combined with the ongoing management of other estate artifacts, such as paintings, sculptures, etc., is overwhelming. In the big picture, a painted proscenium and stock scenery collection is overshadowed by the management of everything else. It’s a really good thing that Louise Calf is their theatre specialist!
Understandably, I was unable to see the entire scenery collection and act drop; the latter being encapsulated in plastic and suspended behind the proscenium opening.
What I did focus on during our visit was the painted proscenium – the second project that Hemsley was hired to paint for Chatsworth House Theatre in 1897.
In the spring of 1897, Hemsley submitted an invoice for the painting of the proscenium and supply of canvas. The painted proscenium is absolutely stunning.
Although, it has greatly deteriorated over time (paint is dusting, fabric is torn, and cords run through holes in the fabric), it is a remarkable work of Trompe l’œil for the stage. From a distance it still creates an illusion of dimensionality that is very believable. Upon first glance, you have no idea that the ornamental frame is two-dimensional.
The painted proscenium is quite significant, and in some ways unparalleled. Last year when we visited the Gaiety Theatre on the Isle of Man, I was captivated by Hemsley’s scenic art and economy of brush stroke. The proscenium surround at Chatsworth House reminds me of his Act Drop for the Gaiety Theatre.
In the end, I wrote two posts about Hemsley: The Gaiety Act Drop by William T. Hemsley and W. T. Hemsley (1850-1918), Scenic Artist.
Hemsley and his studio were featured in an article for the 1899 issue of Cassell’s Magazine. Here are a few illustrations from “Scene-Painters and Their Art.”
As pictured above, scenic studios employed a variety of artisans beyond the scenic artist who founded the business. When scenery was manufactured at a large studio, it could have been the product of numerous hands. For example, George Hemsley worked for his father in the mid-1890s. Both William and George Hemsley were mentioned in the renovation of Whitable’s Assembly Rooms.
On Sept. 21, 1895, the Whitable Times reported, “The hall is being entirely repainted and decorated, but in addition to this a permanent proscenium is being constructed and will be furnished with an act drop and several scenes, painted by Mr. George Hemsley, under the direction of the well-known scenic artist, Mr. W. T. Hemsley. The platform is extended six feet and the prompt side three feet in front, so that the proscenium will be 18 feet wide, the whole forming a good workable stage. The drop scene is a very handsome and realistic representation of a view of Neapolis.”
I want to repeat one particular line from the article – “The hall is being entirely repainted and decorated, but in addition to this a permanent proscenium is being constructed and will be furnished with an act drop and several scenes.” This sounds exactly like the work Hemsley delivered to Chatsworth House in 1896 – less than six months later.
It is possible that George Hemsley, under the direction of his father, was also responsible for some of the scenery delivered to Chatsworth House Theatre.
I am really looking forward to learning more about Louise Calf’s discoveries and thoughts concerning this wonderful theatre and scenery collection.
To be continued…
