Chatsworth House in Derbyshire has launched a pilot “community membership” scheme offering free entry through local libraries, in an effort to make one of Britain’s most famous country houses more accessible. The initiative, run with Derbyshire Libraries, is aimed at helping people who may be priced out of visiting cultural and heritage sites, while also encouraging reading for pleasure. Its significance lies in testing a practical model for widening access without relying on overcrowded free-entry days.

Under the scheme, groups of up to eight people can borrow a seven-day pass giving free access to the house, gardens and grounds. Two passes were issued to each of the 10 participating libraries, and they had already been borrowed 110 times since the scheme began the previous month, making them the libraries’ most borrowed item. The article highlights one family’s first paid-area visit after years of finding admission too expensive, and the trust says it hopes the approach could be copied by heritage sites elsewhere in the country.