Hardwick Hall

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Address: Hardwick Hall The National Trust Doe Lea Chesterfield Derbyshire Postcode: S44 5QJ Email: hardwickhall@nationaltrust.org.uk Telephone: 01246 850430 Fax: 01246 858424 Website: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-hardwickhall/ Google map Click here Multimap.co.uk satellite map Click here

Description Hardwick Hall. Hardwick Hall was designed and built by Robert Smythson for Elizabeth, the Dowager Countess of Shrewsbury, more familiarly known as Bess of Hardwick. It is one of the finest examples of Elizabethan architecture in Britain. Completed in 1597, the house is remarkable in that it is almost unchanged since that time giving a wonderful insight into sixteenth century life. It contains fine furnishings from the Elizabethan Period as well as ornate tapestries, embroidery and many valuable paintings including a portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots. Fine gardens most of which date from the Victorian Period are enclosed by walls and there is a herb garden and orchard. The Hall is set in historic parkland in which roam rare breeds of sheep and cattle. Just a short walk from Hardwick Hall is the imposing ruin of "Hardwick Old Hall" where Bess was born and lived for the first twelve years of her life. In its day this was a fine residence, and when the new hall was completed, Bess continued to use the old one to accommodate important visitors. The story of Bess of Hardwick is a remarkable one. She came from humble origins but through her marriages to powerful and rich men - she was married and widowed four times - eventually became the second most powerful woman in England after Queen Elizabeth I.      Hardwick Hall Bess of Hardwick Painted by Rowland Lockley 1592 The original painting is in Hardwick Hall Because of marital problems, Bess had been living apart from her fourth husband, the Earl of Shrewsbury, in Hardwick Old Hall since their separation in 1584. But when he died in 1590 she inherited from his will and ordered the construction of a the new Hardwick Hall its magnificence being a statement of her wealth and position. She lived there from 1597 until her death in 1608. She was interred in a vault in Derby Cathedral. Her son, William Cavendish inherited the house and lands which remained in the Cavendish family until 1959 when they were passed to the Government as payment of death duties and put into the care of the National Trust.      Hardwick Hall as it was in the 19th Century A drawing by Thomas Allom  Hardwick Old Hall Bess founded a dynasty of powerful descendants amongst them the Dukes of Portland, Devonshire, Newcastle and Kingston all of whom had ancestral homes and extensive estates within close proximity to each other in the area which became known as The Dukeries. Our present Queen, Elizabeth ll, is a descendant of Bess. For full details of all that Hardwick Hall has to offer use the link to visit the website of the National Trust