The Trust accepted the property from Major James Keith in 1952 and recreated the parterres under the direction of Dr JS Richardson in 1956-58.

The Great Garden dates back to 1675 when it was originally laid out by Sir Alexander Seton, a retired Court of Session judge in the reign of James VII/II. His head gardener had designed gardens at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh and was similarly influenced by the French Palace of Versailles. In the 1950s Pitmedden was gifted to the Trust who re-created the garden based on 17th-century plans after it was ploughed up to grow vegetables during the Second World War and used as a kitchen garden for over 100 years. The gardens and pavilions are A listed.

Stables, coach-houses, stable-hand's accommodation, dated 1888.

Possibly by Henry Woodyer (1816-1896).

Grade ll listed.

The Stables.

Ironwork by St Pancras Iron Works, London.

Tyntesfield was acquired by the National Trust in 2002 and was undergoing extensive restoration on our visit. The stables were still as found by the Trust.

An ornate Victorian Gothic Revival house with extensive garden and parkland, Tyntesfield was not intended to be an extravagant statement of wealth, power or politics. Its purpose was simple: to serve as a family home.

Originally a smaller Georgian house, Tyntesfield was transformed into a Gothic Revival masterpiece. Its bespoke architecture reflects the devout Anglo-Catholic beliefs of the Gibbs family. Here they invested their wealth derived from controlling the import of Peruvian ‘guano’ fertiliser.

William Gibbs had become a partner in the family trading company and by the time of Queen Victoria's accession in 1837 had, with his brother Henry, circumspectly steered their business through the French Wars and the dissolution of Spanish colonial interests. William became sole owner in 1842 and the following 40 years produced annual profits that would have reached beyond his ancestors' imagining. Gibbs' Peruvian office had secured contracts for the export to Britain of guano, the nitrogen-rich deposits of seabird droppings that became a principal fertiliser for the increase of wheat yields.

Monument to Michael Drayton, c1760-70.

A vase on a pedestal.

Elaborately carved, with curved sides towards the base, and swags. A large urn with fluted underside and foliage frieze.

Grade ll* listed.

The design for the urn was taken from a book on classical sculpture that is still in the library at Kedleston. It was dedicated to the poet Michael Drayton (1563-1631), who wrote a poem celebrating the English landscape.

The urn was probably placed in the garden in 1766. In this year, the main building work to the mansion was completed. It used to have an inscription in Greek, but this has completely eroded over time.

Kedleston Hall is an extravagant temple to the arts. Commissioned in the 1750s by Nathaniel Curzon whose ancestors had resided at Kedleston since the 12th century. The house is framed by historic parkland and boasts opulent interiors intended to impress.

Designed for lavish entertaining, Kedleston Hall displays an extensive collection of paintings, sculpture and original furnishings, reflecting both the tastes of its creators and their fascination with the classical world of the Roman Empire.

Inherited by George Nathaniel Curzon, Viceroy of India between 1899 and 1905, the hall also houses the many objects he amassed during his travels in South Asia and the Middle East, and in his role leading British rule in India.