Kedleston Hall, which was finished in 1765 and designed to compete with Chatsworth, was commissioned by Sir Nathaniel Curzon and constructed under the watchful supervision of the renowned architect Robert Adam. The main house was never intended to be a home for a family, but rather a show palace in which to display the most exquisite works of art, including paintings, sculptures, and furniture. Its original purpose was to serve as "a temple of the arts" and as the place for magnificent entertainments.
In addition to being an outstanding illustration of Palladian and Neoclassical architecture from the 18th century, Kedleston Hall was also the ancestral home of the Curzon family for many generations. It is believed that William the Conqueror brought the Curzon family from Normandy to England at the time that he took control of the country, and that they have been in Kedleston since at least the 1150s.
