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Set on its gentle hill with the Wye flowing at its feet, it is not a vast mansion like Chatsworth, but a lovely English home that has taken nothing but beauty from the centuries it has seen.
It stands as a mirror of the history of the Vernon family, who came here in the 12th century, and of the Manners family, Dukes of Rutland, who succeeded in the 16th century and whose roots were planted by our Norman conquerors. Mostly built about 1370, it is one of the finest medieval houses and one of the best pieces of domestic architecture now existing and is magnificently preserved.
A gateway in the great tower built by Sir George Vernon, "King of the Peak" gives entrance to the lower courtyard, a gem of architecture with stone steps, turret and tower and traceried windows. Here is the oldest part of the Haddon, the chapel, still keeping its Norman font and one round 13th century column of its arcade. It has 15th century wall paintings, including a St Christopher with the Christ Child, 15th century stained glass, and a 14th century altarpiece carved from Derbyshire alabaster. One crosses the courtyard to the banqueting hall, which rises to the full height of the building. It has a minstrel gallery fronted by a splendid screen,and at the opposite end is the raised dais, its high table lit by a traceried window. The kitchens, on the other side of the screen, are a rare and complete survival from Tudor and earlier times.
We pass the dining room,one of the alterations made by the Tudor Vernons. One end is filled by a window of eight lights brilliant with heraldic glass, the other end having an exquisite oriel window. Over the fireplace are the royal arms and the motto Drede God and honour the kyng; and on two of the panels are the heads of Henry VII and Queen Elizabeth I. The painted 16th century ceiling is a rare survival in an English house. From this room we climb stone stairs to the state apartments and find ourselves in the Great Chamber, the Tudor drawing-room, which has a fireplace with a surprising splendour of metal work.
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