He is noted as a keen gardener and an SDP supporter who defected from the Tories. He is ever conscious of the need to preserve the Chatsworth inheritance. There are some 3,000 drawings at Chatsworth, the 175-room Derbyshire seat of his family. These include works by Leonardo, Raphael, Veronese, Claude, Rubens, Van Dyck and Rembrandt. In 1984 a collection of surplus Old Masters raised œ21 million; and in 1985 he put Lismore, his 200-room castle in Ireland, up for rental at œ2,600 a week.
Aside from his paintings, he also owns 70,000 acres in Derbyshire, Yorkshire and Sussex, including most of Eastbourne's sea front. His pale yellow racing colours are the oldest registered in Britain; and he has also been a member of the Tote board and Jockey Club.
 

Source: Leo van de Pas