About
Revolution House in the village of Old Whittington, near Chesterfield, preserves and interprets one of the most constitutionally significant buildings in England — the modest seventeenth-century alehouse where, in 1688, a small group of Derbyshire noblemen took the decision that determined the future of British democracy. In what was then the Cock and Pynot alehouse, the Earl of Devonshire (William Cavendish), the Earl of Danby, and Lord Delamere met to finalise their conspiracy to invite the Dutch Prince William of Orange to invade England and depose the Catholic King James II.
The events that followed — the Dutch landing at Brixham in November 1688, the collapse of James's government, and William's accession as William III alongside his wife Mary II — constituted the Glorious Revolution. Unlike the violent revolutions that would convulse France a century later, England's constitutional upheaval was accomplished with remarkably little bloodshed, and its legacy — the Bill of Rights 1689, the principle of parliamentary sovereignty, the limitation of royal prerogative — shaped not only British constitutionalism but the constitutional traditions of the United States, Canada, and much of the wider world.
The building itself is a modest vernacular structure of the mid-seventeenth century — whitewashed walls, a thatched roof, timber framing, and a simple interior that could hardly be less like the great houses of the conspirators who met here. This contrast between the momentous nature of the decision taken and the humble setting in which it was made gives the building a peculiar historical resonance. The conspirators chose this obscure alehouse precisely because they needed to meet secretly, away from royalist surveillance in the great houses of Chatsworth and Hardwick.
Revolution House is managed by Chesterfield Borough Council and presents the events of 1688 and their constitutional aftermath through displays that explain both the immediate crisis — James II's attempt to restore Catholic power, his suspension of Parliament, and the birth of the seven illegitimate son that made exclusion seem urgent — and the long-term significance of what the conspirators set in motion. The building is maintained as a heritage property with period furnishings, and its small scale and village setting make it one of the most intimate and atmospheric historic sites in Derbyshire.
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Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
📅 Best Times to Visit
Quietest: Thursday, Friday
Busiest: Saturday, Sunday
💡 Thursday or Friday afternoon for the quietest visit
💡 Visitor Tips
- Revolution House is small — a thorough visit takes 45–60 minutes. Combine it with a visit to Chesterfield's crooked-spired church (St Mary and All Saints) and the town market for a full day.
- The site is free and staffed — ask questions. The staff can provide detail on the conspirators, the wider political context, and the building's history that the panels cannot fully cover.
- Open Thursday–Sunday afternoons only (1–4pm), Easter to October. Closed Monday–Wednesday and all winter. Check before travelling.
- Bus 43 from Chesterfield connects Old Whittington to the town centre — it is not walkable from Chesterfield station (about 3.5 miles) without significant effort.
- History and politics teachers will find the constitutional legacy displays particularly valuable — the link from this Derbyshire alehouse to the American Bill of Rights is genuinely direct and can be traced through primary documents on display.
- The building is one of the most modest in terms of scale and decor of any nationally significant English heritage site — embrace this contrast between humble setting and momentous decision.
- Photography is permitted throughout the house and grounds.
- Chatsworth House (the seat of the Dukes of Devonshire, whose ancestor planned the Revolution here) is 12 miles west and makes an excellent companion visit.
Highlights
The Conspiracy Room — Where History Was Made
The interior of the Cock and Pynot alehouse as it would have appeared in 1688 — the fireplace, the simple furniture, the low ceiling — is preserved and interpreted at Revolution House. Standing in this room, it is possible to imagine the Earl of Devonshire, the Earl of Danby, and Lord Delamere drawing up the final form of their invitation to William of Orange.
The contrast between the modesty of this setting and the magnitude of the decision taken here is one of the most striking experiences in English political heritage.
The Glorious Revolution Explained
Comprehensive interpretation panels and displays explain the crisis of James II's reign: his attempts to restore Catholicism to public life, his suspension of the Test Acts that excluded Catholics from office, the birth of his son James Francis Edward Stuart in June 1688 (which made a Catholic succession seem permanent), and the decision of Protestant nobles to act.
The narrative is presented without anachronism, explaining why men of property and principle felt that constitutional action was necessary and urgent.
William of Orange's Invasion and the Settlement
The consequences of the Old Whittington meeting — William's landing at Brixham on 5 November 1688, James II's flight to France, and the constitutional settlement of 1689 — are traced through maps, images, and documentary sources. The Bill of Rights 1689, which enshrined parliamentary sovereignty and the limits of royal prerogative, is presented as the direct constitutional legacy of the conspiracy hatched in this Derbyshire alehouse.
The settlement's influence on American and colonial constitutionalism is also explored.
The Earl of Devonshire — Derbyshire's Revolutionary
William Cavendish, 4th Earl of Devonshire (later 1st Duke of Devonshire), was the most prominent Derbyshire nobleman among the conspirators and the man whose wealth, influence, and network made the Revolution possible in the county. His reward was the Dukedom of Devonshire in 1694. The museum explores his role in the conspiracy and the way in which the Cavendish family's power — centred on Chatsworth, visible from the Derbyshire hilltops — was exercised at this critical moment.
Collections
Revolution House holds a focused collection of interpretation material, documentary reproductions, and period furnishings related to the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and the building's role in that event. The interpretive displays include reproductions of key documents — the invitation to William of Orange, the Bill of Rights 1689, and related state papers — alongside portraits of the principal figures, maps of the 1688 events, and explanatory panels presenting both the immediate crisis and its long-term constitutional significance.
Period furnishings recreate the domestic character of a seventeenth-century alehouse interior.
The building itself — a mid-seventeenth-century vernacular structure — is the primary object in the collection.
The site also holds a small reference library and archival material on the building's history and its identification as the conspiracy site.
The Conspiracy of 1688
The story of the Old Whittington meeting, the Glorious Revolution, and the constitutional settlement of 1689
The Alehouse in Stuart England
The social role of the alehouse as a meeting place and the vernacular architecture of the building
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.