Performing the country house: the architectural, spatial and social evolution of the theatre in Chatsworth House, 1823-1907

The historic private theatre in Chatsworth House is little understood by visitors and scholars alike. Despite their presence in a number of country houses across the country, country house scholarship makes scant reference to theatres or theatricals in the 19th century, while the room’s location in a tower at the end of the North Wing makes it only sporadically accessible to visitors. Yet, the ubiquity and diversity of private performance entertainment through the 19th century is a burgeoning topic in Theatre History and historic houses across the country are unearthing histories of the practices at their sites. This thesis, a result of a Collaborative Doctoral Award with the Chatsworth House Trust, offers a bridge between these parallel research areas through an exploration of the architectural, spatial and social evolution of the Theatre at Chatsworth from 1823 to 1907. It aims to understand how the room speaks both to the rest of the house and estate, and to key concerns in country house scholarship.
The thesis employs a buildings archaeology methodology with deep archival research to establish the architectural and socio-cultural origins of the Theatre building and understand the reflexive relationship between historical people, the spaces of the building, and the routes navigated by way of access. This approach unveils the presence of a broader diversity of people in these spaces than previously acknowledged, and characterises the Theatre building as having a strong relationship with the wider estate. In so doing, the findings challenge established paradigms in country house studies and offer new ways for thinking about communities - historic and contemporary - and the country house.