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Hardwick Hall is now a National Trust property which neither of us knew anything about and was a change of plan to our previously thought out itinerary. Nevertheless, after another hearty breakfast, we got some directions from our hostess and discovered that it was, in fact, only about 15 miles from the house. Armed with raincoats and camera, we set out across country with great anticipation. What a treat it turned out to be! It is one of Britain's finest Elizabethan houses built for Elizabeth, Dowager Countess of Shrewsbury, who moved into the hall in October 1597. "With its massive windows and fine proportions it is an impressive statement of the power and wealth of its creator who made sure the statement was made quite clear by having her initials ES carved on stone letters at the head of the towers! The hall was notable for the size of its windows and the amount of glass used, which was far more than in similar houses of the period."
Bess of Hardwick, as history recalls her, rose from humble origins to become on of the most powerful people in the court of Queen Elizabeth I. She married four times, each
time gaining more wealth and her fourth husband was the Earl of Shrewsbury, one of the richest and most powerful of the English nobles of the time. For many years the Shrewsburys were responsible for the guardianship of that unhappy Queen Mary Queen of Scots. The dynasty created by Bess included many powerful descendants including the Dukes of Devonshire, Newcastle, Portland and Kingston.
The first picture is how it greeted us on the day - the second picture is how we thought it SHOULD look and the feelings which it evoked in us! The house opened at 11 am and since we had about 40 mins to kill (not literally of course!), we went in for a cuppa. The door opened to a very spacious kitchen area with lots of copper pots and kettles and even bed warmers hanging on the wall. The tables were long, trestle-like and the windows were leaded with diamond shapes, typical of an Elizabethan Manor. (On this occasion, we were asked not to take photographs - so apologies but you will have to go off our descriptions!) We had a quick look around the shop - getting a foretaste of what awaited us
on the inside of the house on the pictures of some postcards.
As you can see from the pics, there was a large wooden door which opened to reveal a square front lawn (a walled garden) framed by flower beds and directly ahead, the Manor was before us, and impressive it was too. Once through the entrance into the hallway, we first noticed the echo from the stone floors and walls with little by way of curtains, mats etc. to absorb the sound. (Gradually, as we walked through the house this was not the case as many of the upstairs rooms had rush wall to wall carpets and huge tapestries hung on the walls. Many of them were faded although the original picture could still be seen.) There was definitely an air of Elizabethan times here - not just with the many portraits which graced the walls of hallways, landings and rooms, but one was familiar with Elizabethan dramas which had been filmed here for television.
The hallway and stairs were extremely broad, to cater no doubt, for the many occasions of hunting/gathering parties which met here for sports/entertainment.
Whilst the new hall "Hardwick Hall" was impressive, we
strangely found that the ruins of the Old Hall impressed upon us more. The original Old Hall may have dated from the 14th century, but the ruins you can now see were, curiously, built only a few years before the 'New' Hall alongside.
The story is that Bess had a furious dispute with her husband, the Earl of Shrewsbury, and in 1584 had to leave their home at Chatsworth. She came to the Old Hall at Hardwick and largely rebuilt it as a place for herself to live. However, when the Earl died in 1590 her finances became much more secure and she immediately began the construction of the 'New' Hall. The Old Hall was abandoned and gradually became a ruin.
It was a memorable experience to walk around the ruins and visualise times past there. Our imagination was helped along by information boards which the National Trust had placed where each room had once stood and through original plaster work and remnants of stone work still standing, had 'mapped' out each room as it would have looked. All in all, we felt, despite its current state, that the Old Hall had a hospitable and welcoming feel to it
which Hardwick Hall lacked but perhaps it was different in it's former days.
Hardwick Hall and the 'Old Hall' is definitely worth a visit to get a flavour of the life and times of the Elizabethan period - it certainly taught 'the tomorrow people' something of the past!
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